The Right Lawyer Makes All the Difference!
The benefits of hiring a lawyer after a traumatic accident cannot be overstated. In addition to providing a valuable peace-of-mind and addressing some of the most exhausting administrative aspects of your case, hiring a lawyer also translates to a higher average settlement. In fact, we often note that victims who hire a lawyer average settlements that are 300% higher than those who don’t.
Beyond that, however, we want to explore some of the specific ways that a lawyer will help you once they take your case. Here are answers to four commonly asked questions that outline the steps that a lawyer will take on your behalf.
How Does a Lawyer Help Me After I’ve Been Hurt in a Car Accident?
The earlier that you speak to a lawyer after you’ve been injured in an auto accident, the more they’re able to positively influence your case. An experienced car accident attorney will investigate every detail of your case and gather evidence that supports you. This can include taking pictures, pulling the police report, interviewing witnesses, and assessing further unreported damages. Getting injured in a car accident can also mean dealing with steep, unexpected medical bills and time away from work. To ensure that you’re able to get covered for any costs that arise as a result of your injury, your lawyer will also document your medical bills and physical therapy expenses.
From there, your attorney will build a personal injury case to represent you and file it with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. A good attorney’s work doesn’t stop there, however, as the insurance company may not offer a fair settlement. If this is the case, your attorney will fight to make sure that you’re offered a settlement high enough to cover ALL of your recovery costs. In the event that the insurance company refuses to negotiate, your attorney may also take the case to court on your behalf.
All of McDivitt’s experienced car accident attorneys prepare their cases as if they’re going to court, even though very few do. This means that we’re able to better hold insurance companies accountable to ensure that they offer settlement amounts that are enough for our clients to get their lives back on track.
How Does a Lawyer Help Me After I Slip and Fall?
While you might not think that you need an attorney after you sustain a slip and fall accident, having an attorney could mean the difference in getting a settlement high enough to cover your medical bills.
Slip and fall cases can be notoriously difficult to settle with insurance companies, as they have a lot of technicalities that they can use to deny you a fair payment. Your attorney’s ability to get a good settlement on your behalf comes from being able to prove that your injuries are the result of someone else’s negligence.
To do this, your attorney will investigate exactly how your accident occurred. Falls can be over very quickly, and a lot of details surrounding them can get lost if they are not properly examined. Your attorney will examine every detail of your fall to determine exactly how it happened, before determining if the premise owner was responsible through their negligence.
Establishing negligence can vary dramatically from case-to-case. Perhaps a premise owner knew that a staircase was unsafe but failed to make any of the adjustments required to ensure safety. Negligence can also look like a premise owner who fails to keep their walkways free from black ice, even knowing that it poses a serious safety concern.
From there, your lawyer will document all of your medical expenses, along with assessing how much money you lost if you were unable to work. These supporting details increase your chance of a fair settlement, and a good lawyer is always willing to go to court.
How Does a Lawyer Help Me After I’ve Been Bitten By a Dog?
Although dog bites might not initially sound as serious as car accidents or workplace injuries, they can be just as severe. Dog bites, especially if untreated, can cause debilitating, lifelong injuries, and even death.
If you hire a lawyer to handle your dog bite personal injury case, then their first goal will be collecting evidence of the attack. This can include filing dog bite reports, photographing injuries, and speaking with potential witnesses.
After gathering this information, your lawyer will use it to determine any potential negligence and liability. The laws surrounding dog bite liability can vary dramatically from state-to-state, and can also vary depending on the details of your case.
Your attorney will use this information to negotiate a settlement with any liable parties that cover all of your medical expenses. To ensure that you’re properly compensated, an experienced attorney will also document your recovery along with saving any medical bills to ensure that every relevant detail is factored into your settlement.
How Does a Lawyer Help Me After I’ve Been Injured at Work?
Worker’s compensation cases can hinge on proper documentation. Laws surrounding workplace injuries are designed to offer an injured party (or their family) enough money to recover after being hurt on the job. In order to receive appropriate compensation, however, the injured party needs to report their on-the-job injury immediately in order to comply with the law, and be covered by workers’ compensation.
Once reported, it is invaluable to have an experienced workers’ comp attorney representing you in your workers’ compensation claim. Your attorney will be able to collect information surrounding both your accident and the injuries that resulted from it. Additionally, your legal team will also be documenting all of your medical expenses, doctors’ appointments, physical therapy appointments and more to ensure that these factor into any settlement that you are offered.
Workplace injury cases can extend far beyond the scope of a single injury. It’s likely that these injuries can limit your ability to work in some capacity, and this can be permanent in serious cases. If you’re no longer able to work after suffering a workplace injury, your attorney is also responsible for ensuring that you receive permanent disability payments to make up for the lost income.
From there, your attorney will guide you through submitting your claim and remain on hand to ensure that it’s properly settled. If it is not, your attorney will be available to negotiate a better settlement, or even take the case to court if needed.
McDivitt Law Firm has been helping injured workers, drivers, and pedestrians for 40 years. Our team of affordable Colorado attorneys understands all of the ins-and-outs that can affect a settlement, and we use that information to fight for our clients.
