When Do I Need to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer After an Accident?

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, you likely have many questions swirling through your mind. Am I eligible for compensation? How much is my case worth? Do I need a personal injury lawyer?

These are all normal questions accident victims have. The days and weeks following an unexpected collision or injury can be enormously stressful. Your number one priority is likely focused on health and healing. Meanwhile, bills may be piling up, and insurance adjusters likely start circling.

Knowing when to hire a personal injury lawyer can optimize the outcome of your claim and allow you to focus on recovery – both physically and financially. Here we’ll walk through the key times when retaining an attorney benefits injured victims in Rhode Island.

If You Were Injured in The Accident

In Rhode Island, you have three years from the date of injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. This is the statute of limitations. However, it is wise to contact an attorney immediately after any accident resulting in harm. The injuries do not need to be catastrophic to warrant legal guidance.

Why act quickly?

• Even minor injuries may require ongoing treatment.
• Your focus needs to be on health and healing after an accident.
• A personal injury lawyer can promptly investigate while the evidence is fresh.

An attorney can consult with medical experts right away to understand prognosis, treatment options, and costs.
Contacting legal counsel immediately sets your case up for the best possible outcome down the road, regardless of the severity of the injuries. An experienced lawyer helps guide your recovery process while building a strong claim for maximum compensation.

If You’re Not At Fault for the Accident

Here is when hiring a personal injury attorney is most clear: if someone else caused your accident injuries. Filing claims against insurance policies is complicated and full of deadlines and legal terminology.

You need a Rhode Island personal injury lawyer in your corner fighting to prove negligence and liability. We have the resources to conduct thorough investigations demonstrating what party acted carelessly, contributing to the accident. From there, we build loss claims, ensuring victims receive the compensation they deserve.

If Medical Treatment is Needed After an Accident

It is wise to contact a personal injury lawyer soon after any accident if you require medical treatment. Even if the injuries do not seem severe initially, many harms cause ongoing issues needing periodic care over time.

For example, if emergency responders transport you to the hospital or if you need surgery, having legal guidance early on is key. Additionally, if doctors expect you to attend physical therapy, counseling, or take prescription medications during your recovery process, speaking with an attorney can help determine complete costs.

Retaining counsel quickly prevents you from settling a case prematurely for inadequate compensation before realizing the full scope of medical expenses. An experienced lawyer assists with documenting and valuing all accident-related care, major and minor. This sets you up for maximum recovery down the road.

If You are Unable to Work Due to the Accident

Missed wages and lost income are other major frustrations accident victims face during recovery and rehabilitation. If you sustain injuries preventing you from working for days, weeks, or longer, connecting with a personal injury lawyer promptly is crucial.

Personal injury law firms work with medical experts and occupational analysts to document the entire timeline you are reasonably expected to be off the job. These projected lost wages then become part of your overall claim. Settling without the proper calculation of lost income happens too often. Victims agree to low offers from insurance, thinking medical bills are all they’ll recover. Don’t let this happen to you.

If the Insurance Company is Difficult to Work With

What happens if the at-fault driver’s insurance company contacts you soon after an accident with a quick offer? Politely decline.

Third-party insurance adjusters may seem friendly at first. Their job, however, is minimizing payouts to protect corporate profits.

Without legal representation, accident victims easily get taken advantage of. A personal injury law firm can level the playing field against powerful insurance firms.

What Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Do for My Case?

If any of the above scenarios describe your situation after an accident, you likely are wondering what exactly a personal injury lawyer can do to help. Will an attorney really make much difference in my case outcome?

Short answer: yes. The right lawyer optimizes claim value.

Think of hiring a personal injury attorney, like leveling the playing field when you are already at a disadvantage. Adjusters answer to executives targeting dollars saved. By retaining legal counsel, injury victims gain a powerful advocate adept at getting recovery results.

A Lawyer Determines Liability and Liable Parties

The first thing an experienced personal injury lawyer will do is conduct a prompt, thorough investigation of your accident. Using legal resources unavailable to regular people, we determine all potentially liable parties. In motor vehicle accidents, for instance, we:

• Consult police reports
• Analyze skid marks
• Measure sight distances
• Visually inspect vehicles

We also engage specialists who can determine:

• Speeds
• Angles of impact
• Traffic controls

Nothing gets overlooked when Louis W. Grande Injury Lawyer builds negligence claims.

A Lawyer Gathers All Evidence Available

Part of a complete investigation includes gathering crucial evidence before it is lost or destroyed. Witness interviews, photographs, video surveillance, even vehicle black box data – skilled injury attorneys use legal prowess to access everything permissible in attempts to strengthen your case.

Thorough documentation prevents insurance companies from later alleging that you share any blame for causing the accident. Strong, irrefutable evidence can compel high settlements without going to court.

A Lawyer Estimates Complete Case Value

Personal injury lawyers work with actuaries and medical experts who translate injuries into dollars by calculating projected costs for:

• Medical treatment
• Prescriptions
• Assistive devices like wheelchairs
• In-home care, including housekeeping services
• Lost wages

Reasonable, expected expenses backed by expert assessments demonstrate to insurance companies the actual losses that car accident victims incur. Verifiable projections set the stage for fair negotiations that incentivize valuable settlements.

A Lawyer Negotiates Firmly with Insurance Companies

Once your personal injury lawyer has established full case value through meticulous investigation and documentation, settlement negotiations will commence. Unlike unrepresented individuals, attorneys with litigation experience know every trick in adjusters’ playbooks.

We anticipate lowball offers. We understand tactics used to stall negotiations in hopes that victims accept pennies on the dollar and struggle to pay increasing medical bills. Skillful lawyers counter these devious ploys in pursuit of the maximum available compensation.

A Lawyer Takes Your Case to Trial If Needed

Ideally, serious injury claims are resolved through settlements once insurers realize the evidence against them is substantial. However, some situations require court cases before local judges and juries. The courtroom is where experienced personal injury lawyers shine brightest.

We prepare vigorously while knowing that most insurance defense attorneys push for trials with an expectation of unrepresented victims being unable to prove liability.

Get a FREE Consultation With a RI Personal Injury Lawyer

After an accident, you may have questions about your legal rights and options for compensation. Consulting with one of our attorneys does not cost you anything.

Contact our firm online or call today. Our personal injury lawyers offer a free consultation where we will:

• Evaluate your case and provide guidance on how to proceed
• Assess potential compensation for your financial losses and physical injuries
• Answer your questions and explain the legal process

By contacting us for a free case review, you can make an informed decision about hiring an attorney to represent your best interests going forward. We consult on motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, dog bites, and all other personal injury matters. Call now to speak with one of our lawyers at no charge and with no obligation.