Why Is Having a Personal Injury Lawyer Important?
If you have been injured through no fault of your own, you likely have a number of questions. One of the biggest questions is whether it is in your best interest to have a personal injury attorney on your side.
Lawyers at Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi have been repeatedly recognized as the best in our field, and we handle a wide range of injury claims. Please call (201) 585-9111 today for a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer.
The most important reasons to hire a personal injury attorney include:
1. Determining Whether You Have a Claim
When you get injured in an accident, your expenses can start adding up quickly. From medical bills to lost wages and more, serious and catastrophic injuries can have immediate and lasting financial consequences.
As such, the first reason to speak to a personal injury attorney is to determine if you have a claim. If an experienced lawyer believes that you have a viable case, you may be entitled to compensation not only for your economic damages, but for non-economic losses as well (more on this below).
Understanding your legal rights requires a clear understanding of how the law protects you. This means you need an experienced personal injury lawyer on your side.
2. Determining If You Have Multiple Claims
In some cases, accident victims will have multiple claims for compensation. This could be the case, for example, if you are involved in a car accident where a driver fails to maintain control after his or her brakes fail. In this scenario, both the driver and the manufacturer of the vehicle’s brakes could be held liable for your accident-related losses. If this is the case, you might need to make separate claims against the liable parties to fully recover your losses.
When you hire a personal injury lawyer to represent you, your lawyer will evaluate all of your legal options. Your attorney will investigate and collect evidence, then strategically pursue all available claims on your behalf.
3. Calculating Your Economic Losses
As an accident victim in New Jersey or New York, it is up to you to determine how much you are entitled to recover. The insurance companies will not do this for you. The laws in both states allow accident victims to recover just compensation for their current and future economic damages, including medical bills, lost earnings, and other out-of-pocket expenses.
By hiring a personal injury attorney, you can feel confident knowing that you are seeking full compensation for your financial losses. Your lawyer will rely on his or her experience (and the advice of medical and financial experts, if necessary) to determine how much you will need during your recovery – if not for the rest of your life.
4. Placing a Value on Your Non-Economic Losses
Personal injury laws in New Jersey and New York also allow accident victims to pursue compensation for non-economic damages. This includes losses such as:
- Emotional distress
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Non-economic damages do not have a definitive dollar value. Strong evidence of how the injury affects your life day-to-day is needed. Often, expert testimony is also required to illustrate the ongoing effects of a serious injury (such as impairment or disability).
Accurately calculating non-economic damages on your own is extremely difficult. It is not uncommon for injury victims to overlook their right to recovery of these losses. As such, it is crucial to have a personal injury lawyer who can maximize your compensation.
5. Overcoming Unfair Insurance Practices
Most successful personal injury claims result in insurance settlements. However, wrongful denials and underpayment are common, and many accident victims end up settling for far less than they deserve.
When you hire a personal injury attorney to represent you, your lawyer will use the available evidence to negotiate for a favorable settlement. Perhaps even more importantly, your lawyer will handle all communications with the insurance company for you. This not only reduces stress on your part but prevents you from falling prey to the tactics insurance companies often use to low-ball claims and get claimants to act against their best interests.
6. Taking Your Case to Court If Necessary
When you have a personal injury claim, it is important to be prepared to go to court if the insurance company will not agree to compensate you fairly. Hiring a personal injury lawyer lets the insurance companies know you are serious, and it gives you the opportunity to take the insurance companies to trial if they refuse to offer a fair settlement.
As mentioned above, the majority of personal injury claims are settled without going to court. In some cases, it might not be necessary to file a lawsuit. However, if the insurance company doesn’t offer a fair settlement, it is crucial to have a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer who can represent you at trial and fight for the maximum award on your behalf.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
It can be difficult to recover the full compensation you deserve if you have been injured through someone else’s negligence. Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi can help.
Our personal injury lawyers have more than a century of combined experience. We have also been recognized time and again as the best in our field by a number of elite legal organizations and publications.
Contact Maggiano, DiGirolamo & Lizzi today for a free case review with a personal injury lawyer. Our lawyers serve clients throughout New Jersey and New York.
