Find An Accident Attorney: Fight for Your Rights
If you are involved in an accident, you may be able to get compensation from the responsible party. Accident cases count as personal injury. This includes medical malpractice, workplace incidents, vehicle accidents and damages from product defects.
There are several types of personal injury lawyers, with some choosing to specialize in specific cases, such as accidents. There are many ways an accident attorney can legally assist you. An attorney can directly represent you in court, but he or she also tells you your rights, helps you come up with a list of damages and knows which party to hold accountable in your accident.
What does an accident attorney do?
While you are not legally required to hire an accident attorney, it is strongly recommended. Winning a case without a lawyer is difficult, and even if you do win, there is a good chance you are getting significantly less than if you hired an attorney. One of the main ways an accident attorney can help you is coming up with a list of damages.
If you were involved in an accident, there are many different types of damages you can ask compensation for. The majority of these expenses are easy to overlook, with many victims believing they can only list medical expenses. While medical expenses often make up the bulk of your damages, you are also able to sue for property damage and any wages you lost from being unable to work. Depending on the severity of your accident, you may also be able to request additional damages due to a decline in your quality of living.
There are also some abstract damages you can sue for. Without a lawyer, these damages are much harder to quantify, such as pain and suffering. This is a broad category and can cover many damages. For example, if you were unemployed when the accident occurred, your attorney may argue you deserve additional compensation for the lost time you would have otherwise used to find a job. Your accident attorney can also sue the responsible party for the stress you endured as a result of the accident.
One of the reasons hiring an accident attorney is important is how long it takes for cases to resolve. In some cases, your case may drag on for over a year, especially if you are trying to sue a business or large corporation. Businesses have much more money to spend on attorneys, who drag the case out as long as possible in the hopes of you accepting a lesser deal. With an accident attorney, you have someone on your side who will not get worn down and knows how to counter legal tactics the defense tries to use to stall the case.
What types of cases do accident attorneys take?
There are many different cases involving accidents and personal injury. A common misconception is you can also sue if the accident resulted in severe damage. If you were involved in a car accident but did not require medical treatment, you are still eligible for compensation from whoever caused the accident. Another misconception is you can only sue if another person was directly involved in the accident. While many personal injury cases directly involve another individual, these are not the only accident cases.
If you are injured while shopping because the store did not maintain proper safety procedures, you are able to sue the store directly. Similarly, if you were damaged because of a defected product, you can take the manufacturer to court. One of the jobs of an accident attorney is determining exactly who is responsible and how you can bring charges against them.
Hiring an Accident Attorney
Because of how long it takes to resolve an accident case, you want to hire a lawyer you are comfortable working with for a long period of time. Take the time to research multiple accident attorneys in your area. It helps to come up with a list of questions to ask the attorney beforehand, to assess whether they are qualified for your case.
One of the first questions you want to ask is about payment. This includes both how much it costs to hire the attorney, as well as what you can expect to win from the case. Some lawyers charge an hourly rate, typically between $100 and $500. An important distinction to make is between costs and fees.
Costs include any charges you pay for the lawyer’s service. This includes research, gathering witnesses, investigations and court filings. Costs are typically paid at the end of the case. Fees refer to what the lawyer is rewarded for representing you. In some cases, this is a flat fee, but many attorneys take a percentage of your earnings as their fee.
If cost is an issue, look for an attorney who takes a percentage of your fee. This way, you do not have to worry about any upfront costs. These attorneys are also more motivated to win your case, since their earnings are based off of your success.
Attorney Finders and Services:
When you need an attorney or lawyer, finding the proper resources online can be difficult, confusing, and time consuming. That is why we have compiled some off the top online resources for you so your legal search goes as smoothly as possible. If you are unsure of where to start your search for an accident attorney, we suggest you try Find Law.com. Find law offers a robust search tool that lets you filter attorneys by legal specialization and location where they practice. If you are more interested in a legal service, you might consider trying Legal Shield. Legal shield offers various legal aid packages. For personal legal plans with lawyers in your area, you can find service that may start as low as $24.95 a month! Legal Shield offers accident lawyers, as well as lawyers specializing in many other areas of the law.
