Filing a Personal Injury Claim: Do You Need a Lawyer?

The general rule of personal injury claims is simple. You should always seek legal advice before you file a personal injury claim or settle a personal injury claim. The reasons for hiring experienced trial lawyers include more than the likelihood of receiving more compensation (after your lawyers receive their compensation). There are many ways a lawyer can help resolve your claim sooner and protect your rights if complications arise. At a minimum, attorneys help give you peace of mind that you’ve obtained the best legal and medical result possible, and take the stress out of handling the claim on your own.

How lawyers help clients in all types of personal injury cases

At Nace Law Group, we have more than 40 years of experience fighting for personal injury victims and families. Our record of success includes many verdicts and settlements for the victims of medical malpractice and other types of negligence.

It’s difficult enough coping with your physical pain and emotional suffering, wondering how to pay the medical bills, and wondering how to support yourself if you cannot work due to your injuries. Our caring lawyers take the stress out of speaking with insurance companies that want to deny your claim or pay you as little as possible.

By giving us permission to handle your accident claim, you can focus on your health and family, while we focus on obtaining the maximum amount possible for your financial and personal damages.

Investigation

Our lawyers understand how to investigate the cause of your accident, who is liable, and why they’re liable. We work with investigators who go to the accident site, examine all the factors that may have contributed to your accident (such as the speed limits and placement of stop signs), ask local businesses if they have any videos of the accident, and speak with any witnesses.

Insurance

Our Washington, DC personal injury lawyers identify the insurance policies that apply to your case, depending on the type of claim you have. Often, more than one policy may cover your claim, which is why a quick settlement for the policy limits of, for example, the truck driver’s insurance carrier may mean that you fail to obtain substantial money from other defendants. These defendants may include the driver’s employer, the owner of the truck, and the companies involved in the shipment.

In vehicle accident cases, you may also be entitled to compensation from your own uninsured/underinsured (UM/UIM) carrier.

Medical care

Our lawyers review the medical care you’re receiving. In some cases, we recommend that you see other physicians and rehabilitative professionals. We work with medical professionals who can verify your diagnosis, explain the medical treatments you need, review the possible complications, confirm that your injuries prevent you from working, and explain all the pain and suffering your injuries are causing.

In medical malpractice cases, including birth injury cases, we work with physicians who can explain why the original healthcare providers and hospitals failed to provide competent medical care, and explain what corrective steps are possible.

Expert witnesses

We often work with different experts depending on the type of accident and the extent of your damages. These experts may include traffic reconstruction experts, product safety experts, building code officials, and physicians who can testify about medical malpractice. We also work with financial experts, life planners, mechanics, and physicians who can explain the full scope of your damages.

Who’s liable?

In many negligence and product liability cases, it’s not just the obvious person (a driver, store owner, or doctor) who is liable. A major reason to consult with experienced personal lawyers, even in cases that seem like slam-dunks, is that there may be other people and businesses who are liable. Even the District of Columbia may be liable.

For example, if an obstetrician commits medical malpractice, other defendants may include your gynecologist and the hospital where the birth injury occurred.

Damages

If you handle your accident claim on your own, there’s a good chance that you won’t get all that you deserve.

Some of the reasons our lawyers help clients obtain more money include the following:

• We file claims against more than the obvious defendant.
• We have the work experience and professional relationships to anticipate and counter many of the arguments insurance companies and defense lawyers will make to try to deny your claim. These arguments may include that you were contributorily negligent (which can defeat your whole claim, even if you were just one percent liable) and that your injuries aren’t as serious as you claim.
• We work with medical professionals and life planners who can explain the long-term consequences of your injuries.
• We understand all the doctors you should be seeing, such as psychologists for emotional trauma.
• Our lawyers demand compensation for damages clients don’t ordinarily claim, including loss of life’s pleasures, loss of bodily function, loss of consortium (enjoyment of marital relations), scarring and disfigurement, and punitive damages.

Filing and notice requirements

There are specific statute of limitation requirements for filing personal injury and wrongful death claims. Additionally, in some cases, such as medical malpractice claims, you have to provide the defendants with a 90-day notice that you will be filing a claim.

There are many other filing considerations, such as where to file your lawsuit, the information you need to provide, how to serve the defendants, and other issues.

Negotiation and Trial

There is an art to negotiation. For starters, insurance companies rarely make the best offer with their first offer. We understand the give-and-take that yields the best offers. Our lawyers also understand how much juries are likely to award, and when you should consider having a jury award your damages instead of negotiating a bad settlement.

If you or someone you love suffered injuries due to another person’s or a company’s negligence, our attorneys have the experience and professional relationships to help you. Please call Nace Law Group or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We represent personal injury victims and the families of loved ones who died due to the negligence of others on a contingency fee basis.