The answer to this question may seem obvious – it’s “after you’ve suffered a personal injury.” Even if you don’t think your injuries are serious enough to warrant legal action, or you don’t believe third-party negligence was a factor, it’s generally a good idea to visit a lawyer to make sure. Initial personal injury consultations are free of charge, so there’s no risk for you in doing so.
In this post, we explain the various ways in which a lawyer can help you and highlight the reasons why it’s usually a good idea to at least go for a consultation following an accident.
Many of our clients come to us for a free initial consultation with the belief that they’re only visiting us because they’d “rather be safe than sorry.” They think that because their accident was relatively minor, there’s not much we’ll be able to do for them.
While this can sometimes be the case, people in this position are often surprised to learn that hiring a personal injury lawyer might actually be the right move for them.
First, you may have underestimated the severity of your injury. A lot of accident-related health issues (including serious head injuries) don’t show symptoms right away. Other injuries might cause only mild symptoms at first but get progressively worse over time.
Also, you might not have considered all potential sources of compensation. Property damage, incidental accidental-related costs (such as towing), and noneconomic damages (like pain and suffering) could all be recoverable in your case.
Of course, the more serious your accident, the more necessary a lawyer becomes. If you neglect to hire a lawyer for a minor incident, you might miss out on a few thousand dollars’ worth of damages, but you’ll recover. If you decide to go it alone following a serious injury, though, the negative consequences could follow you for the rest of your life.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting too long to hire a personal injury lawyer. Getting early expert input on your situation can prevent mistakes that might weaken your case and leave you with less money in your pocket at the end of the personal injury process.
There are a few reasons for this, including:
However, as we often tell clients, “The best time to hire a lawyer might have been yesterday, but the second-best time is today.” Even if some time has elapsed since your accident, there’s likely still plenty we can do to help you. The only way to find out is to visit us for a consultation.
There are certain specific situations in which hiring a lawyer becomes critical. Below we detail some of the most common ones we generally see.
When more than one party is involved in an accident, things can get complicated fast. Liability becomes difficult to determine, and people often try to shift blame.
A personal injury lawyer can help untangle these complexities, identify who’s at fault, and ensure you don’t get stuck shouldering more than your fair share of the liability. Having legal representation also helps you negotiate with multiple insurance companies, which can be overwhelming if you’re flying solo.
Picture this: You’ve slipped and fallen in a large puddle of water in a grocery store, breaking several bones. There was no “Wet Floor” sign warning customers of the hazard, and it appears likely that the issue went unattended for some time.
You approach the store owner and explain the situation, presuming that (because of the obvious negligence on their part) they’ll be willing to compensate you. To your surprise, they completely refuse to accept responsibility, suggesting that your fall happened solely because of your own carelessness.
We talk to clients in positions like this all the time. Unfortunately, regardless of how clear-cut a situation seems to be, there may be very little you can do if an at-fault party refuses to deal with you in good faith. Unless, of course, you hire a personal injury lawyer.
A lawyer has the expertise to gather evidence like police reports, witness statements, and expert testimony to support your case. Once your lawyer files a lawsuit on your behalf, they’ll be able to demand crucial forms of evidence (like CCTV footage) from the defendant during the discovery process.
One of the most common mistakes accident victims make is thinking that they can trust their own insurance company to deal with them fairly. Remember, your insurance company is only happy to have you as a client because of the premiums you pay. As soon as you file a claim, you become a liability.
Insurers have a number of tricks they use to limit their losses on claims. These include:
Insurers tend to have teams of high-powered lawyers on their payroll so they can pull off these tricks. To have any chance of fighting back in this situation, you’ll also need an attorney on your side – ideally one with plenty of experience when it comes to cases like yours.
Many people are reluctant to approach lawyers following accidents or injuries because the idea intimidates them, or because they feel they’ll be pressured into filing an unnecessary lawsuit. However, the truth is that going for a free initial consultation is almost always the right move after any kind of accident.
Our lawyers work on a contingency-fee basis, so we have no incentive to take on weak cases. If we think there’s no point in your pursuing litigation, we’ll tell you directly. The worst-case scenario is that you learn you don’t have a viable lawsuit on your hands, and you get on with your life.
Contact The Cochran Firm in Philadelphia today to schedule your no-obligation consultation. You can reach us via our online contact form or by calling 800-969-4400.
