Personal Injury Law

Can You Afford a Personal Injury Attorney After an Accident?

By Flaxman & Lopez

If you have been injured in an accident, you will likely have to file a claim of some type. If you have been injured on the job, for example, you will likely file a workers? compensation claim. If you have been injured in a car accident or truck accident, you will likely seek a claim against the insurance company of the other driver. Filing any claim means a great deal of paperwork and legal contracts and terms. You may wish to hire an attorney. Perhaps you have already heard that hiring a Florida personal injury attorney can help you get a fairer settlement.

Unfortunately, many patients do not take the next step and actually contact an attorney. In some cases, patients assume that they do not need an attorney. They either are told or come to believe that insurance claims are standard and do not require legal help. While in some ways this is technically true, however, the fact is that the outcome can be very different for you depending on whether you decide to hire a personal injury attorney or not.

A good Florida personal injury attorney can investigate the accident you have been involved in and can seek claims against all parties who may be held liable for the accident. If you are making claims yourself, you will likely only consider one party liable, when in fact many factors could have been responsible for your injury. By seeking claims against multiple parties, you can often be assured of a better settlement ? one that fairly covers all the costs and medical bills you have incurred because of your injury.

Your attorney can also negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf so that you get the fairest settlement possible. Without an attorney, it is likely that insurance companies will offer you a lowball offer, one which may not cover all your medical costs or lost income. Anything not covered by your claim will have to be paid with your own savings. Worse, once you accept a claim amount, you will likely not be able to seek further damages for the same injury, even if the claim you have been granted does not leave you with enough money to pay all necessary costs. Attorneys have the expertise and negotiating skills to negotiate a better settlement on your behalf. Without the assistance of an attorney, you may be losing money. Not having an attorney can actually cost you money.

Unfortunately, many patients do not seek the help of a Florida personal injury attorney because they assume they cannot afford legal help. After all, many patients may already be facing substantial medical bills and other financial pressures. The good news is that you generally do not need to pay money up front to seek legal help. Many good personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis. This means that they will not ask for legal payments until and unless they win you a settlement. It is only when your settlement money is paid and you have the cash to pay your legal fees that these attorneys will send you a bill. This allows you to pursue a case and get a fair settlement without worrying about high legal fees.

Additionally, many Florida personal injury attorneys offer a free initial consultation, so that you can decide for yourself whether pursing a legal case makes sense for you. Thanks to contingency and free consultations, you never have to worry about foregoing legal help simply because you cannot afford it. The truth is, you may not be able to afford not seeking legal help.

Full post as published by Florida Injury Lawyer Blog on May 06, 2010 (boomark / email).