A personal injury lawyer is a legal professional who handles claims arising from accidents. An attorney handles both civil cases as well as criminal ones. This happens because of the potential overlap in cases. The criminal justice system has its own rules and procedures that can be confusing to a plaintiff unfamiliar with the legal domain.
How A Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
If you were injured in an accident, a personal injury attorney could help your case in many ways. You would be surprised by a lawyer’s skill set and knowledge. Other than offering valuable legal counsel, they also do the following:
Investigate Claims
The first step a personal injury lawyer takes is to investigate the claim. This step is essential because there may be information in the claim not reported to the lawyer. Proper documentation is key to a successful case.
Gather Evidence
After a personal injury lawyer has collected information from the injured person, there are other things to gather and review as evidence before filing a case in court or making a settlement offer on behalf of your case to an insurance company.
Negotiate With Insurance Companies
Often the insurance company will offer some money to settle a claim. To get the settlement amount that the client deserves, the personal injury lawyer may have to negotiate with the insurance company. This negotiation will take place in a court or before an arbitrator.
Send Demand Letters
Once contact has been made with the insurance company, your injury lawyer will be sending demand letters to help gather information for your case and assist in negotiations with the insurance company.
Prepare Pleadings
Personal injury lawyers spend a lot of their time preparing pleading documents, the legal documents prepared before filing the lawsuit and after discovery has been taken.
Conduct Discovery
Discovery is an integral part of a personal injury lawsuit. Because your injury lawyer will be negotiating for compensation to help you recover from your injuries, or because you may have to go to trial, your injury lawyer must conduct discovery as quickly and accurately as possible.
Represent Clients at Trial
Personal injury attorneys can represent clients at all stages of their case, beginning with the investigation and ending with a trial if one is necessary.
What Type of Cases Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Handle?
If you think you’ve been injured due to the conduct of another individual, company, or government, it’s best to speak with a qualified personal injury lawyer. A local Hempstead personal injury attorney will handle the following cases and more:
Motor Vehicle Accidents
A personal injury lawyer handles cases involving all types of motor vehicle accidents, including but not limited to:
- Automobile collisions
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle crashes
- Pedestrian accidents
Slip and Fall Accidents & Other Premise Liability Claims
A personal injury lawyer may handle claims arising from slip and fall accidents that occur:
- On public property
- At a grocery store
- At the client’s home
Premise liability refers to issues caused by the negligence of another person or entity. Premise liability cases can involve landscaping contractors, subcontractors, and the property owner.
Work Accident Claims
A personal injury lawyer may handle work accident claims in which a client is injured on the job. The accidents could be caused by the negligence of an employer, a co-worker, a client, or an unsafe machine.
Dog Bite and Dog Attack Injuries
A personal injury lawyer may handle cases involving dog bites and dog attack injuries, which can happen to victims of any age. A dog attack could be caused by the negligence of another party, a veterinarian, or even the dog owner.
Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
A personal injury lawyer may handle nursing home abuse and neglect cases involving an elder or dependent adult. The nursing home abuse or neglect could be caused by a facility employee, another resident, or even a family member.
Examples of nursing home abuse are:
- Neglect: facility not following a prescribed treatment plan, failing to prevent falls, infections, or malnutrition
- Physical abuse: hitting, drugging, kicking, or corporal punishment
- Sexual abuse: rape and inappropriate sexual contact
- Financial abuse: stealing money, property, or possessions
Defective Products, Drugs, and Medical Devices
These cases can be due to the negligence of the manufacturer, a distributor, doctor, or other medical professionals. If you have been injured from a defective product, you may be able to recover damages from the manufacturer with the assistance of a qualified personal injury attorney.
Medical Malpractice
A personal injury lawyer may handle claims involving medical malpractice. Such cases may involve a surgeon, an anesthesiologist, or another healthcare professional that has harmed you during a surgery or procedure. Medical malpractice involves negligence or errors that result in a patient’s injury by the failure of a healthcare professional to perform their duty up to standards.
Final Thoughts
What a personal injury lawyer does, is offer expert guidance throughout the legal proceedings. They will be by your side every step of the way, making sure that you make informed decisions for a better future.
Comments 3
Thanks for also talking about how nursing home neglect can also fall under a personal injury case. I plan to look for a good personal injury attorney soon because I’m thinking about helping a friend file for a claim soon. He recently got in an accident that will make him unable to work for some time.
Proving that you’ve been injured will really matter a lot when it comes to getting compensation. If you don’t have a good amount of evidence, it’s really going to ruin your chances of being believed in court. I’ll make sure I know of a personal injury lawyer to help me get some good evidence in case I’m in that situation.
Gathering evidence and making sure it’s presented properly could really make or break a case. If you have convincing enough evidence, then getting compensation for your injuries will be much easier and thus help you recover much easier. If ever anyone I know gets into an injury, I’ll make sure we help them hire a lawyer that has good evidence gathering skills.