Were you the victim of a personal injury auto accident? Approximately 52% of personal injury cases relate to motor vehicle accidents. There are many causes of car accidents, but the cause is not as important as the damages incurred. These are 5 things to know about personal injury cases.
You have legal rights
If you were injured in a car accident caused by another driver, chances are that you have legal rights. The at fault driver?s insurance company should cover any costs incurred for your personal injury. They should cover any vehicle damages, legal charges, the time needed off work, and many medical expenses. Depending on the extent of the claims, a personal injury or car accident attorney might be needed to file for these injury claims.
Your future medical costs might also be covered
There are many medical injuries that require lifelong medical care. Additionally, some medical conditions can prevent you from working the same job you are used to. If either of these situations is the case with your current personal injury, you might also be able to claim for future medical care and payment for loss of wages. Because evaluating the cost of expected future medical payments and loss of work can be difficult, it usually requires an experienced car accident attorney to handle the case. There are approximately 6 million car accidents in the U.S. each year. A large percentage of these car accidents will result in a personal injury of some type.
You could still be charged
Many drivers walk away from an auto accident confused. They were hit by another driver and yet, they somehow walk away with a traffic ticket. When a police officer visits the scene of an accident, they look at all causes. If the victim does not have sufficient headlights, for example, they could still be charged. This does not necessarily mean that you do not have legal rights to sue for personal injury compensation. It simply means that the police officer is accurately documenting the events of the car accident. In some cases, a personal injury attorney can get these extra charges dismissed.
The personal injury timeline can be very long
If you have never been involved in the legal court systems, you might not be aware that everything seems to take a really long time. While you might expect personal injury compensation within a couple of months, in reality, it could take years. Court cases often get stuck in trial and extended timelines can really slow the process down. If you decide to take the case to trial, it could take even longer as they attempt to choose the right jury members. This is common when the car accident results in a fatality. Every two minutes, a person is injured in a drunk driving crash. These tend to be the cases that take longer.
It could cost you to sue
There is no way to accurately estimate the outcome of a case. While a personal injury attorney can give you an estimated settlement amount, there is no guarantee that this is the amount you will get. It could actually end up costing you to sue for personal injury compensation. Fortunately, there are many attorneys that work on a settlement basis. This means that they are not paid until the victim receives any compensation. Then, it is usually a percentage of the settlement amount, making it so the victim never has to pay out of pocket for their legal services.
Personal injury resulting for a car accident is very common. Some victims will decide to sue for injury compensation. If you are one of these victims, it is important to understand what you are doing. These 5 personal injury facts will give you a better understanding of the legal system when it comes to personal injury cases.