Common Questions After Suffering a Personal Injury

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Personal injury law is quite broad. This is because there are no two similar injuries at any given time. For this reason, people often have a myriad of questions whenever they are victims of personal injuries.

And all the questions asked in such a scenario are often valid. More often than not, if you are a victim of a personal injury accident, not only will you be faced with substantial medical bills, but coping with the pain sustained from the injuries can be overwhelming. The chances are that you may find yourself asking more questions and receiving little or no answers in return. 

While each scenario can be different, a vast majority of people don’t have a clear understanding of what they should do to protect their rights. This article will try to answer some of the most-asked personal injury questions by victims. Read along to find out.

Do I Need a Lawyer After an Accident?

If you’ve suffered injuries in an accident due to someone else’s fault, chances are that you are going to need a lawyer to help with your settlement. Also, you will require a lawyer if the party at fault has a third-party insurance cover. 

Typically, the insurance company will always want to pay you the least possible amount. Not only will they involve investigators and lawyers to minimize your injuries and damages, but the insurance company will also include adjusters in the evaluation process. 

When you involve a personal injury lawyer, you can rest assured that all your interests will be covered, and you will get the compensation you deserve for your injuries.

How Long Does a Personal Injury Settlement Take?

As an accident victim, you’re probably wondering how long it will take for your settlement case to end. Your concerns may be more immediate if you are dealing with out-of-pocket medical expenses or losing your income due to lack of work. 

Although you may expect an easy answer to this question, it’s unfortunate that there is no definite answer. This is because each personal injury case is different in so many ways. Usually, personal injury cases involve many twists and turns and can take anywhere from a few weeks to decades to settle. 

What Information Is Vital to My Claim?

Some of the attributes of a successful personal injury claim are that it includes a thorough and detailed timeline of events, the effects of an injury on your daily life, and the intensity of the accident. Ideally, such information comes through eyewitness accounts, pictures, and police reports, among other forms of evidence. 

It’s of utmost importance to keep all the relevant information related to the accident safe. This way, you will be in a better position to present them to your lawyer with ease.  

Will the Person Who Caused My Injuries Be Punished?

Punishment by law comes in many different forms. It’s worth mentioning that there is a big difference between civil and criminal actions. As you would expect, different cases have different outcomes.

For starters, personal injury cases are civil cases. Due to this, a person who caused you injury cannot face any jail time as a result of the civil trial (although there might be a separate criminal trial related to your accident, as well). The defendant will only have to pay for monetary compensation as opposed to facing a jail term. You might wonder why this is.

Well, civil crimes often don’t involve any malicious intent. More specifically, personal injury cases are mainly charged based on negligence. Even so, depending on the nature of your case, a defendant can be required to pay for punitive damages to cover your medical expenses, suffering, and pain, among others. Generally, this compensation is meant to punish a defendant for recklessness and behaving in a manner that harms others. 

Consult a Lawyer for All Your Personal Injury Queries

While this article has highlighted some of the most common questions pertaining to personal injuries, there are myriad other questions. To get definitive answers, be sure to consult a personal injury lawyer today.