What's Your Lawyer Up To? Unseen Actions And Personal Injury Cases

Posted on: 21 January 2021

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If you have been hurt by a careless driver, you could be owed thousands of dollars in compensation. Getting paid what you deserve, however, is another matter. Your best chance of getting the compensation you are owed is to go through a personal injury lawyer to get there. These skilled legal professionals help accident victims get paid quickly and accurately.  Read on to find out what a personal injury lawyer can do for you, even when you are not looking.

Getting Started

Make an appointment to speak to a lawyer and plan to bring as much info about the accident as you can with you to the meeting. You might want to summarize your medical treatment so far and get your hands on your accident report from the responding law enforcement agency. Once the lawyer looks over your info, they can provide you with an idea of what you may gain by pursuing the case.

First Things First

You and your lawyer will usually come to an agreement on how much to ask for in compensation. This is an important task and one that those without lawyers often skip. That can leave some victims vulnerable to bad advice from the other person's insurance agency and lead to inadequate settlements. Even if you don't hear from your lawyer for days on end, things are happening. Your lawyer will soon send the other driver's insurer what is called a demand letter.

The Demand Letter

This is the first legal communication between the two sides. The demand letter lets the other side know that you intend to sue them if they don't pay you what you are asking (which is what you and the lawyer agreed upon previously). The letter lays out a summary of your damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and more, along with a sampling of evidence available to prove things. The goal of the demand letter is simple — to open negotiations between your lawyer and the other side.

Investigations

While your lawyer is negotiating with the other side, they may also be doing some investigation. Fault is of utmost importance and your lawyer may need to identify more evidence in regard to who caused the accident. Depending on the exact circumstances of your wreck, this process can take weeks to accomplish. It can involve seeking eye-witnesses, taking statements, reviewing video footage, and requesting medical records.

The goal of being paid before you go to trial is fast money and a focus on healing. Most accident cases settle out of court.

Talk to an auto accident lawyer about your case today.