Risks of Handling a Medford Injury Claim Without a Lawyer
Request a Free ConsultationIndividuals injured in an accident should always hire a personal injury lawyer to help him or her file a lawsuit to claim compensation. Without an experienced attorney, injured individuals risk being taken advantage of, either by the person that injured him or her or the insurance company. Knowing the risks of handling a Medford injury claim without a lawyer may help you avoid some common mistakes, but the best approach is almost always to seek professional legal assistance.
Settling Too Soon
Injured individuals generally seek only as much compensation as he or she needs to cover the expenses related to his or her injury. In many cases, he or she may even settle for an amount that is relatively close to his or her ideal compensation.
Personal injury attorneys representing defendants in personal injury cases know this, as does the insurance company. As a result, defendants and insurance companies will usually suggest less than what the injured party deserves as an initial settlement offer. One of the many risks of handling a Medford injury claim without a lawyer is that an injured individual may jump at the offer, being grateful he or she received anything at all.
Hiring an attorney could prevent that from happening by determining what a deserving settlement for you is. The defendant and the insurance companies may think twice about making lowball offers after knowing you have a skilled attorney on your side.
Not Knowing Who Is at Fault
While you may know that you were not responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, you may not be sure who actually was at fault. To complicate matters further, you may not know how to investigate the case to determine who was at fault for the accident—and without knowing that, you may not have a case at all. This is perhaps one of the biggest risks of handling a Medford injury claim without an attorney.
Experienced lawyers are well-versed in discovery, which is the process of collecting evidence to help support your case, including information regarding who was at fault. Once the fault is determined, you could move forward with filing a personal injury claim against the liable party.
Not Knowing the Law
There are many different areas of personal injury law, each of which has their own legal standards, practices, and statute of limitations. For instance, someone wishing to file a personal injury claim against a government entity likely will not have as much time to do so compared to someone filing a claim against another individual. Not knowing these laws can stop a personal injury claim before it has even begun, which can be devastating to you.
Lawyers Could Manage the Risks Involved in a Medford Injury Claim
After an injury, it is important to focus mostly on resting and getting the recovery you need. Worrying about filing legal paperwork, collecting evidence and witness testimony, and dealing with insurance companies and attorneys for the other side can add to this stress unnecessarily. Ultimately, this hurts not only hurt the personal injury claim, but also the effectiveness of your recovery process.
If you suffer an injury in an accident, do not take any of these risks of handling a Medford injury claim without a lawyer. Get proper representation from a lawyer who knows the law, could work hard to get you the full compensation you deserve and, most importantly, could let you focus on your recovery.