Do I Need a Personal Injury Attorney?

When you suffer an injury, there’s a lot that you need to think about. What is the best medical treatment? Do I need to go to a hospital? How can I prevent this from happening again? One question that often comes up is whether or not you need to hire a personal injury attorney. Personal injury attorneys are only used in specific type of injury cases, and therefore your specific injury may not require a lawyer. If you’re unsure, here are the circumstances you need to consider.

You Weren’t Injured at Home

When you suffer an injury at home, you likely don’t need a personal injury attorney. In most of these situations the injury is an accident, and no one else is to blame. If the injury was your own fault – such as slipping down your stairs or cutting yourself with a knife – there isn’t another party to blame, and therefore you don’t need to hire a personal injury attorney.

You Weren’t Hurt at Work

While most accidents happen at home, the other common place for injuries is at work. This is especially true if you perform a job that requires physical labor or for you to be around dangerous equipment. However, even if you’re injured at work, you likely don’t need a personal injury attorney. When you hurt yourself at work, you should document what happened and submit it to your supervisor. Since all businesses are required to have insurance, this process will go through them rather than the court system. If for some reason your employer says they don’t have insurance, that’s when you’ll want to speak to an attorney.

When Someone Else is at Fault

The main time you need a personal injury attorney is when someone else is to blame. Maybe they hit you with their car, or you slipped on their icy stairs. Sometimes it’s not always easy to tell if you have a case against someone else. For example, according to the Barnes Firm, if you hurt yourself on a sidewalk, the city “can sometimes be held liable for those injuries if the sidewalks were not repaired in a timely manner.”

Whatever the cause, you are not to blame, and someone else needs to take responsibility. If you happen to be in an accident that is someone else’s fault, be sure to document the incident if you can. This will help you and your attorney decide if you can bring a lawsuit.

What a Personal Injury Attorney Can Do

Now that you know what sort of situation calls for a personal injury attorney, it’s time to decide if you really want one. There are a few key benefits that making hiring an attorney almost essential. First, there is a lot of legal work that goes into filing a suit against someone else. If you don’t have experience in this area, you’ll likely find it very difficult and time consuming. Second, personal injury attorneys have experience settling cases, and will be able to get you the most amount of money in your specific situation. Finally, if you’ve been hurt, you likely aren’t up to trying to handle all of this on your own, and letting a lawyer handle it will relieve a lot of extra stress from your life.

How to Find a Personal Injury Attorney

The next thing you need to do, after deciding to get an attorney, is find one. There are two main ways that you can go about doing this. First, a simple online search will reveal plenty of personal injury attorneys in your area. Take some time to consider them all before making a decision. Besides an internet search, you can also ask your friends and family for recommendations. You may know someone who has either used a personal injury attorney in the past, or who knows someone who practices in that field. This will help you to find a lawyer you can trust and make the searching process go a lot quicker.

What to Look for In a Personal Injury Attorney

Before you make your decision, there are a few things to keep in mind about the attorney you pick. First, they should have experience in personal injury law. You don’t want someone who is just getting started, or who primarily works in another legal field. Second, you should find out what sort of fees this lawyer charges so that you can factor that into your settlement money.

Take Your Time with the Process

Deciding to hire a personal injury attorney is never easy. You have to first decide if they are right for your incident, and then you actually have to find one. So, take your time during the process. In the end you’ll be much happier if you didn’t rush, and you found a great attorney you can trust. You can then let them handle much of the legal work, while you focus on getting your life back together.