After suffering a serious accident, you are likely to have a few questions, such as what will be involved in the recovery process? How long will it take before I can go back to work? What happens next?
One of the most common questions people ask themselves is, “do I need a personal injury attorney?”. In most cases, the answer to this important question is yes, and the sooner you can get one on board, the better off for you. You should look for the right lawyers for the job. Winchester personal injury lawyer from Correll Law Firm can help you if you are from parts of Virginia and its environs. The following questions can help you understand if you need a personal injury lawyer.
How severe are your injuries?
Most injuries are minor and result from a fall or slip, where the worst that can happen is a scratch or bruise. When they do occur, most people can handle them without hiring a lawyer to act on their behalf.
That said, there is also the possibility that these types of harmless events cause more severe outcomes, such as concussions or even bone fractures. Likewise, they could cause severe damage to the soft tissues around the spine and neck. Where any of these things happen, you should get in touch with a specialist attorney as soon as possible. This is because sustaining injuries like this can potentially leave you with a hefty medical bill, as well as reduced income from not being able to work due to your injuries.
Was it you who caused the accident?
As part of any personal injury claim, it must be established that the third party caused the accident and thus the personal injury. This is where a lawyer can come in handy as he can gather the required evidence and pursue the claim on your behalf. In most accidents, it usually happens that several parties share some of the responsibility. A lawyer can identify each of these parts, allowing you to seek the right level of compensation from each of them.
Have you had contact with the insurance company?
Many accident victims don’t think twice about speaking to a lawyer before contacting their insurance company. However, you fully have the right to get in touch with an attorney before contacting the responsible party of the insurance company.
It is best to allow your personal injury attorney to make any communication throughout the entire process. With insurers unwilling to pay any money, they will likely communicate with you to get you out of the claim or try to reach some compromise instead. Those people who have already spoken to the representative insurance company may have been advised of their need to contact an attorney to handle their claim on their behalf.
A personal injury attorney will determine exactly who is responsible and, therefore, the responsibility for the accident. For example, in a car accident, this is likely to involve interviewing expert witnesses and viewing available cam footage of the accident to determine who was to blame.
