5 Times to Contact a Personal Injury Attorney Quickly
Approximately 97.9 million emergency department visits in the US are related to personal injuries. Personal accidents can be minor such as cuts, or severe such as head injuries and internal bleeding. Such injuries can significantly disrupt your life physically, financially, and psychologically.
However, many people do not know when to contact a personal injury attorney. Since waiting too long can affect your case, discover five instances when to contact a personal injury lawyer quickly.
1. When You Have Severe Injuries
A qualified, licensed, and experienced personal injury attorney represents clients with either minor or severe injuries. You can get away with not contacting a lawyer if you sustain minor injuries such as sprains. However, you should never wait too long for severe injuries such as trauma affecting the spinal cord and head. The reason is that most serious injuries are debilitating and attract higher financial compensation.
Additionally, the fair value of compensation for severe injuries must consider potential future implications. An experienced personal injury attorney knows how to navigate the complexities of claims involving severe injuries. Therefore, they will make sure you receive fair compensation in good time.
2. When an Insurance Company Contacts You
Typically, private and public establishments purchase insurance policies to protect against public liability, such as injuries to the general public. Therefore, insurance companies usually work in the best interest of their clients in case of injury claims. Most insurers usually contact the injured party in a bid to fast-track the compensation process.
Ideally, a personal injury lawyer will advise you to contact them immediately after receiving communication from the other party's insurer. The reason is an insurer could offer you a compensation amount that does not reflect the impact of your injuries.
Most importantly, a personal injury lawyer will ensure you receive the proper compensation. An attorney will help keep your incident report private since 5% of personal injury cases end up in court.
3. When You Have a Short Statute of Limitations Period
Few people understand the impact of the statute of limitations with personal injuries. Different legal issues have varying prescriptive periods that injured parties must observe. Therefore, a personal injury lawyer cannot do much if you contact them beyond the statute of limitations period. In New Jersey, the statute of limitations for personal injuries is only two years.
While two years might seem like a long time, it is not in a legal context. Personal injury attorneys need enough time to analyze your case, investigate the accident, identify the party at fault, and negotiate a settlement. A personal injury attorney must perform all the tasks to guarantee fair compensation. Therefore, contact your attorney immediately after an accident to improve the chances of a just settlement.
4. When Insufficient Investigations Have Happened
The police department and insurance companies must investigate and solve personal injury cases. However, time limitations might hinder the quality of investigations. Unfortunately, relying on the findings of inadequate investigations might significantly reduce the compensation you are entitled to.
Indeed, you might not be conversant with investigation procedures because you are not an expert. However, assessing investigators' efforts can help determine whether investigations are inadequate. In such instances, immediately contacting a personal injury attorney is prudent. Your lawyer will allocate enough resources to gather as much evidence as possible to build a solid case.
5. When You Experience Delay Tactics by an Insurance Company
A personal injury claims process can be complicated. Therefore, all involved parties must work together to wrap up investigations in good time and agree on a fair settlement. Although some insurers do not have a problem accelerating the process, others can apply delay tactics.
You need to be wary of the latter because it increases the chances of running down your case's statute of limitations. In most cases, limited communication from an insurer is a telltale sign of such delay tactics. Therefore, contact a personal injury lawyer immediately if you sense that an insurance company is ignoring you.
Knowing when to contact a personal injury lawyer is important. The lawyer improves your chances for a fair hearing and compensation while holding the at-fault party accountable. If you need such a lawyer, reach out to Borbi, Clancy & Patrizi.