Personal Injury Lawyer
Accidents happen, but when you are the victim of someone else’s negligence, you don’t want to shoulder the burden of your injuries which may include:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Pain and Suffering
- Child care expenses
What if you don’t know if your injury warrants legal action? Here are five criteria a personal injury attorney may use to assess the viability of your case.
- Fault
Based on your account or witness statements, is it clear that the accident happened through no fault of your own? Clear attribution of blame simplifies matters but if you are partially at fault, an attorney may still feel that you have a case worth pursuing. However, you may not have any case if the person at fault is unknown or unreachable, as in a hit-and-run scenario.
- The Extent of Your Injuries
After an accident, it is crucial to seek immediate medical attention to evaluate the extent of your injuries. Without a formal medical assessment, an attorney can not determine the degree to which your injuries require treatment or the method and length of treatment. All of this is essential for establishing your losses.
- Medical Prognosis
A medical report that predicts the future impact of your injuries is vital for determining much of your case’s value. If your injuries have a long-term or permanent effect on your bodily functions or quality of life, an attorney is likely to accept you as a client. Pain and suffering from such injuries can be a significant factor when determining the value of a personal injury case. However, this doesn’t mean that injuries causing short-term incapacitation are not worth pursuing.
- Amount of Lost Wages
Your injuries may prevent you from returning to work, which may mean lost wages resulting in an inability to pay your bills. The longer you are unable to work, the stronger your case becomes. If others depend on your income, it increases the merit of your injury claim.
- Insurance Coverage
Insurance plays a vital role in awarding damages for personal injury claims. For instance, if an uninsured person causes your injury in a motor accident, you may never see any compensation outside of your medical insurance. On the other hand, if your injury was the result of negligence near a construction site, there may be an extensive corporate insurance policy to provide compensation.
If someone else is the cause of your injury, it is best to consult with a lawyer, like a personal injury lawyer from the Law Firm of Frederick J. Brynn, P.C., with experience who can predict whether or not you have a case.