When To Hire A Lawyer To Handle Your Personal Injury Claim
If you have been involved in an accident that was not your fault, you may be entitled to compensation. You can get this compensation by bringing a personal injury claim against the negligent party who was responsible for causing your harm. These actions can be life changing when successful, but they can also be time consuming and complex. In limited situations, you may be able to handle bringing your own personal injury claim, however, in the vast majority of situations, you will benefit greatly from legal help. In this article we will consider what kind of situations may necessitate qualified legal help. Of course, the information presented here is intended to be general and may not apply to every case. If you would like specific feedback regarding the facts and circumstances of your particular case, the best thing to do is talk directly to a qualified attorney. If you would like to schedule a time to speak with one of the experienced Sandy Springs personal injury attorneys at Hawkins Spizman Trial Lawyers, simply reach out to schedule a free consultation.
When to Avoid DIY-ing Your Personal Injury Claim
The do-it-yourself approach always carries risks when you are talking about attempting to practice law without any prior experience. This is particularly true because everyone you will be going up against likely has that experience and the resources to match. However, the risks are lowest when the stakes are lowest. If you were involved in a car accident and no one suffered any injuries, or only very minor, temporary injuries, this is low-stakes enough that you can probably handle filing a claim with the insurance company and negotiating a settlement with some research and practice. However, if you or someone else suffered a serious injury or have extensive damages, it is important to involve an attorney. The more money you will seek from an insurance company, the harder their lawyers will fight it, so it’s important to be prepared with a legal advocate of your own. In these situations, hiring a lawyer allows you to level the playing field so that counsel for the insurance company can negotiate with someone who knows what is fair and what you are entitled to. That’s really the biggest danger when it comes to fighting your own personal injury battle, is that you cannot know what you don’t know. This means that you may be entitled to forms of damages that you don’t even know exist, so you will gladly accept a settlement that doesn’t include them thinking that it is fair. For instance, depending on the circumstances of your case, you may be entitled to punitive damages, which can extend into the millions in some cases. However, unless you know to ask for them prior to trial, the judge will not even consider awarding them. A lawyer can see the things that you don’t, and knows what a fair settlement actually looks like. A six-figure settlement may seem dazzling until you see your eight-figure hospital bills.
Schedule a Consultation with Hawkins Spizman Trial Lawyers
Hawkins Spizman Trial Lawyers, serving the Atlanta, Dunwoody, Alpharetta, Cobb County, Fulton County, Gwinnett County, Johns Creek, Sandy Springs, and the greater Georgia area, are experienced personal injury lawyers who will fight to get you the settlement that you deserve. Contact us today and schedule your free consultation so that we can start fighting for you.
