Hi Boox Popular Magazine 2024
Did you know that there were nearly 4000 motor-vehicle deaths in California? The number of vehicle accidents in general is hard to determine because many people decide not to call 911 when something like that happens. However, something that we have to say is – personal injuries happen all the time. However, it seems that many people do not even know how the personal injury claim process works. Because of that, it is about time to gain some useful information.
So, What Is Personal Injury?
The phrase “personal injury” defines all the personal injuries that you have experienced in an accident. Of course, the accident needs to be caused by someone else. This includes car accidents, an accident that you may experience at work because of bad work conditions, or even if someone else’s pet bites you. In case you experienced something like this, then you have the complete right to start a personal injury claim process.
In case you manage to prove that the accident occurred because of someone else’s fault, you will manage to get a certain amount of money. How much you will get depends on different factors, but the main one is how big and tough your injury is.
Speaking of money, there are a couple of reasons why you exactly are getting a particular amount of money. First of all, the person or people that caused the accident will have to cover your medical costs. Despite that, in case you could not work because of the injury, the other side will also need to cover the costs for causing the work inability.
The third thing the other side will have to cover is the damage that your property experienced. For instance, if you got involved in a car accident, others will have to cover all the costs that appeared. You may have to wait for a certain period to get your vehicle back, but it is a lot easier to wait when someone else covers the costs you are not responsible for, right?
Finally, the last but not least that influences the amount of money you will get is emotional distress. Some people simply become depressed or anxious after experiencing a car accident. Because of that, they are not able to function normally. This can also be a reason why you are not able to work for a few days or weeks after the accident.
So, How to Prepare Yourself for a Personal Injury Claim Process?
We will use car accidents as an example to make things clear. After you experience something like that, the first thing you should do is to relax. You need a clear mind even if you got physically injured. Try to be aware of the situation and check out whether you, someone in your vehicle or someone in the vehicle of other parties involved needs help. When you determine the situation, you have to move to another step!
1. Call 911 Immediately After the Accident
The entire process starts before you even go to court. When you clear your mind and get out of the vehicle, the first thing you should do is call 911. Do that even if there are no visible injuries on your body or the bodies of other people. Police and ambulance must come to the “crime scene” as soon as they can so they could write the report. The report is an essential document that you will use later in the process.
On the other hand, do not refuse medical help even if there are no visible injuries. There are certain injuries such as internal bleeding and shellshock that are not immediately noticeable, but they can be dangerous for the person that experienced the injury.
Of course, the medical report will also be an extremely important document for the court. You will prove that you experienced certain injuries (even the smallest one) and determine the medical costs!
2. Now Consult with the Personal Injury Lawyer
If you decide to Google “lawyers near me” after reading this article, you will see there are dozens of them only in your neighborhood. However, this doesn’t mean they are all good for your case. You have to find the best possible personal injury lawyer that has experience with the cases like yours.
Fortunately, there are many of them like luchadoreslegales.com that will manage to help you with some useful pieces of advice and guide you throughout the entire process. It is always good to have true professionals on your side.
3. Lawyer Starts with Analysis
The medical records and reports of the accident are not only important for the court. They are also extremely important for the lawyer that you plan to hire. He or she will primarily interview you and ask all the details about the accident, injuries you experienced, medical treatment you got, etc. In that way, the lawyer will manage to determine all the goals that you should strive to achieve with a personal injury claim.
4. Negotiating Starts
When the personal injury claim is small, lawyers strive to settle them even before the lawsuit is filed. Remember that the most professional lawyers will not do that before the point of so-called maximum medical improvement. That is the only way to determine the price of the entire case.
5. Lawyers Are Filing the Personal Injury Lawsuit
After the lawyer files the personal injury lawsuit, the litigation phase starts. You will probably have to wait for a certain period until the case goes to court. Because of that, you may have to be patient. On the other hand, it is essential to file the lawsuit before the court’s deadline. The deadline is different from one state to another.
6. Meditation vs Trial
After all the stages that we mentioned above, the last stage can have two outcomes. One option is to go to meditation and try to solve the problem that way. Both parties will get an objective third-party mediator that will try to find the best solution for the case.
However, if solving the problem that way is impossible, then you will need to go to trial. The trial usually lasts around a week or two, but when the details are confusing, it can last even longer.
Before we end this article, there is one thing you have to know. Just because the lawsuit is scheduled, that doesn’t mean the trial will start on a particular day. The beginning is often delayed because of the schedule that judges have. This is the only reason why the entire process could be delayed.
