When Do You Need to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Accidents that result from the negligence of another party, victims can get compensation from this party. In a minor accident, it is often easy to determine liability. If you are a victim of this accident, you may be able to handle the claim process yourself. But, if you have a complex case that involves bodily injuries, you should engage a Salem Oregon personal injury lawyer to handle your claim. An experienced attorney will not settle for less than what you deserve to receive.
What to Expect When You File an Injury Claim
If you are considering filing a personal injury claim, you must know what’s a minor injury and what’s serious. Muscle sprains, bruises, tendon strains, bumps, and minor cuts are soft tissue injuries that tend to heal soon. Because your expenditure on the treatment for these injuries won’t be significant, you may want to settle your claim on your own.
It is worth hiring a personal injury claim if you sustained significant injuries that warrant higher insurance payouts. The reason is that most attorneys work on a contingency fee basis which means you don’t pay them upfront. Instead, they only get paid when they can successfully recover compensation for you. And when this happens, they will get a percentage of the recovery amount and give you what’s legally yours. So, if the payout is just a modest sum, it may not make financial sense to hire a lawyer.
Moreover, it is also important to ensure your doctors have certified your full recovery. If you experience significant pain or other symptoms long after the accident, you might have an undetected severe injury.
Insurance companies will contact you soon after the accident to settle the compensation claim. When you accept their offer since you feel that you have recovered, you may not have enough funds to use to get treatment for any injuries that later investigations will discover.
Specific Situations that Require Legal Representation
If you suffered from serious injuries, you should consider working with an attorney, particularly when you have a spinal cord injury or a traumatic brain injury. These injuries may cause long-lasting damage to how your body will function. Usually, these injuries involve high-dollar claims and your lack of knowledge and experience in the legal process must not jeopardize your recovery.
If several parties caused the accident or when it involves a government agency’s negligence, you should also hire a lawyer. These cases can get complicated and usually involve a long-drawn process to lead to fair compensation. And you cannot handle them on your own.
