3 SIGNS THAT YOU HAVE A SOLID PERSONAL INJURY CASE
So you're thinking about pursuing a personal injury lawsuit. There is a lot to consider before doing so, and many people, unfortunately, talk themselves out of legal action before even giving it a fair chance. There is a misconception regarding personal injury law, especially in the United States. Many people consider personal injury attorneys "ambulance chasers", and there is an unfair negative perception surrounding personal injury law. The fact is that pursuing a personal injury lawsuit is not inherently about money, and it's certainly not about getting rich. We look to our attorneys to represent us during personal injury cases because we have been wronged in some way. Whether that's because we were in car accidents wherein the other party was at fault, or because we slipped and fell on a surface that should have been slip-free. It's all too easy to dismiss personal injury law, when in fact it's vital to keeping us all safe and our rights represented. People often pursue personal injury cases because they were not only unjustly harmed, but are not saddled with medical bills that should not be solely their responsibility, or even can no longer work due to the accident. With that being said, let's look into some of the indications that you should speak with a lawyer about starting a case.
1. YOU WERE PHYSICALLY INJURED
A physical injury is obviously a key part of starting a personal injury case. Though personal injury lawsuits are not always focused around long-term physical injuries, it can be easier to decide to go ahead with your case if you were in fact physically injured versus emotionally traumatized. This is because physical injuries typically come with a paper trail; for example, doctor's records, as well as a doctor attesting to an injury that happened in a specific way, can be major in a personal injury case. Medical bills give a case a genuine framework to work off of in terms of the personal injury case that you choose to pursue. Keep in mind that roughly 96% of all personal injury cases are settled pretrial, and your medical bills could very well end up being covered in a settlement. Ultimately, a physical injury often ends up being the backbone of many personal injury lawsuits.
2. YOU WERE NOT AT FAULT
A personal injury lawsuit is not something to pursue on a whim or to simply make money. We do not seek help from our attorneys in a fraudulent manner, and those that do often are harshly punished and face serious legal repercussions. You should only hire an attorney to pursue this kind of case if you were solidly not at fault in your accident. If you walked across a floor that was surrounded by warnings about a wet floor and then slipped, fell, and injured yourself you could not say that you were not at fault for the accident. However, if you slipped and fell when there were no warning signs, then you could argue that you were led into the accident.
3. YOU CAN PROVE THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN YOUR INJURIES AND THE ACCIDENT
Here's a real issue to consider: yes, you can prove that you were injured, and yes, you can prove that an accident occurred, but can you prove the connection? This is something that you will need to be able to do. Though our attorneys do a lot of work for us, they cannot bring a connection out of thin air. this is why it's important for you to collect your documentation regarding your accident. If you were in a car accident, for example, you'll want all the records that you can get from the police on the scene. You also should take photos of the accident scene and your injuries if possible. Speak with your doctor and see if they can verify the link, as this can be the biggest piece of evidence.
There are a lot of things that our attorneys can do which we can't, but you need to be proactive in building your case. Get in touch with lawyers as quickly as possible.