If you have been injured, you may be dealing with several issues. Pain and discomfort are likely two of those issues, but the emotional and financial strain that can come from a serious injury may also be difficult. If someone else’s negligence caused your injury, you may want to reach out to a personal injury lawyer to discuss your options.

What is a Personal Injury?

For purposes of the law, a personal injury is an injury to one party that is caused by the negligence of another party. Some common examples of personal injury claims include car accidents, wrongful death, and workplace accidents. Slip and fall injuries also fall into this category, as do medical malpractice and product liability cases.

When Is the Time to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?

Ideally, hiring a personal injury lawyer should be done as soon as possible after a personal injury accident occurs. There is generally a statute of limitations depending on the type of injury, the location, and other factors. If you wait too long to seek personal injury compensation, you may be past the time to file a claim.

The very first consideration after a personal injury occurs is seeking medical treatment. Once that has been addressed, an attorney should be your next appointment or phone call. If you have been injured in a car accident where the other driver was at fault, you may have a personal injury case.

You may also want to reach out to an attorney if you have been injured by unsafe conditions in your workplace, or if you feel and sustained injuries in a retail establishment. Finding out if you have a case is the first step to receiving compensation for the harm you experienced.

How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help?

There are many ways an attorney can help you seek out and receive personal injury compensation. Gathering relevant evidence to build your case is one way an attorney will help you. Another way is by working to get the maximum value for your claim. Additionally, knowing you have strong legal representation can help relieve your stress and anxiety.

After a serious injury you need to be able to focus on healing. That is much more difficult if you also have to focus on evidence collection, your medical bills, and dealing with the other party’s insurance company. Working with a personal injury lawyer takes all of that off of your plate, so you can spend your time getting better, and recovering from your injuries.

If you have lost a loved one and have a wrongful death case, you can also have more peace of mind in knowing that your attorney is fighting for justice for that loved one. You need time to grieve, and legal representation can help give you that time.

What’s Next?

Once your case has been filed, your attorney will keep you informed of the next steps in your case. It is likely that the other party’s insurance company will try to settle with you out of court, especially if they feel you have a strong case against them. They may offer you considerably less than they believe your case is worth, though, in the hope that you will take it.

Before you consider taking an insurance company’s settlement offer, talk with your attorney. It is likely that you can receive more in personal injury compensation, and your attorney will work to negotiate a higher amount. If you and the insurance company are unable to agree on a settlement amount, your attorney will take your case to court.

Going to court means a judge will hear your case, and then make a determination as to the personal injury compensation you will receive. The insurance company could appeal that decision, too, so you want to be sure you are choosing an attorney who will be on your side, every step of the way.