Understanding Personal Injury Accident Law Suits
Imagine this: You are walking down the street and a piece of scaffolding falls from the sky landing on your foot causing serious pain. You can’t walk without crutches and you can’t drive your car until the cast comes off in six weeks. The construction company is refusing to pay for your doctor bills.
Here’s another scenario: After sitting in rush hour for hours you are rear-ended by a large truck. You have major whiplash along with severe back pain and are forced to stay home from work for months. You become depressed and you aren’t earning any money since you are paid by the hour. The company the truck driver works for isn’t offering to help you with your bills.
These two examples are common scenarios of personal injury accidents. Everything from car accidents to train accidents to bicycle accidents can be considered a personal injury accident and depending on the situation, victims of these types of accident may be entitled to damages.
Understanding Personal Injury Damages
The term “damages” refers to the money a judge or a jury awards to the victim of a personal injury accident. When pursuing a personal injury accident law suit you and your attorney will add up all of your expenses and then request that the court require the other party to pay that amount.
If you are the victim, then you are the plaintiff while the other party is the defendant. In some cases the defendant is an individual, like the driver of a car, for example. A company or entity can also be the defendant, but since most individuals and companies are insured for accidents, it is the insurance company that usually acts as the defendant.
Every attorney and law firm will charge their clients differently, but it is safe to assume that your attorney will only be paid a fee if you win your case. If the court does not award you money and you and the other party decide not to settle outside of court, then the attorney won’t be paid. However, you may still be responsible for paying the administrative expenses like copying, mailing, court filing fees, and other similar costs.
Understanding How to Find a Lawyer
Most people don’t know a lawyer, let alone a personal injury lawyer, which makes it difficult when an accident occurs. Of course you don’t plan for these things so when the time comes to find an attorney it can be downright scary.
Instead of complicating your already stressful situation, take a breath and do a simple online search for attorneys in your state. Most attorneys or legal organizations will offer no-cost consultations and even talk to you on the phone for a few minutes before you come in. This is a great way for you to decide if the attorney is someone you want on your side.
