When you think of a personal injury accident, your mind might automatically jump to car accidents. While that is a common one, personal injuries can happen in many types of accidents.
For example, in 2017, the Center for Disease Control reports that 64,795 people died from accidental poisonings. Slip-and-fall accidents took 36,338 lives. The actual definition for a personal injury is “an injury to one’s body, mind, or emotions” that, though unintentional, is caused by negligence. An intentional injury would be self-inflicted or criminal.
Your Next Steps
So, you’ve experienced an injury caused by someone else’s negligence. Now what? You are probably aware of the financial stress that comes along with the many doctors appointments and medical treatment. We don’t want you worrying about all of that. Your number one concern should be healing, both physically and emotionally. An injury, no matter the severity, can be hard on you and your loved ones.
An attorney will help keep the legal process running as smooth as possible so you can focus on what matters most: YOU.
The Case Timeline
Most people worry about the timeline of their claim. First, and most importantly, seek proper medical treatment. Consulting a PI attorney should be your next step. Once you meet with your attorney, they will then investigate the accident and examine your medical records. It is important you are 100 percent honest with your lawyer and don’t leave any information out.
Don’t be surprised when gathering the medical records takes a few months. The attorneys office will have to communicate with your doctor’s office. Collecting all the necessary paperwork can take a while.
Settlement Time.
After getting a good read on the case, your attorney will most likely try to negotiate a settlement for you with the other party’s insurance. Sometimes, an attorney will wait until you have recovered as much as possible from your injury so they can fully asses what you case is worth. This enables your attorney to fight for as much compensation as possible.
If your claim does not settle, the next step in the process is litigation. At this point, you and your attorney will file a lawsuit with the courts. At this time, each party involved will take time to review the information and claims from the opposing side. However, most personal injury cases do not go to trial and are settled during mediation. Either way, this process can take anywhere from a 6 months to a year, or more.
Your attorney’s job
In the end, an experienced personal injury attorney will know when to settle and when to go to trial. In addition, he or she will also answer your questions along the way. Finally, he or she will help you understand what will happen on the journey. That way, you’ll be able to make the decisions that are best for you.
Gerling Law is a leading personal injury law firm dedicated to providing aggressive legal representation to individuals and their families. With over 50 years of experience, Gerling Law has helped thousands of people in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in a wide variety of personal injury and consumer protection cases, including trucking accidents, wrongful death, medical malpractice, nursing home negligence and social security disability. Gerling Law takes pride in the fact that we have never represented insurance companies, hospitals or large corporations and that we fight against powerful companies for our clients.
If you need an experienced, dedicated personal injury lawyer, Gerling Law is here to help. You can always reach us at 888-GERLING (888-437-5464).
