If you or your loved one has had a personal injury such as those that occur after an accident or medical malpractice, you might be wondering if you need to hire a lawyer to help your case. In states like Colorado where car, ski, and other accidents are an everyday issue, you might already be aware of all of the Denver personal injury law firms that offer up their help. If you are injured because someone else was acting negligently, you have every right to call a lawyer and explain to them what happened and that you would like to seek compensation.
However, it’s not a must. You can file a personal injury case by yourself if you do not want to work with a lawyer. Seeking compensation on your own can be hard though and it will take a lot of time and effort on your part which is why most people choose to hire a lawyer.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
When it comes to filing a personal injury claim, there are many steps and processes involved. Doing all this on your own can be hard and it can take a lot of time away from you that you can spend doing other things.
By hiring a lawyer, you can focus more on the recovery process and allow the law firm to process paperwork for you, talk to the insurance companies, and file the claims.
Lawyers also are in charge of the following when it comes to personal injury cases:
- Gathering evidence. Your lawyer will be in charge of gathering all evidence that can help your case including getting medical records, police reports, and other things that might make your claim easier to process.
- Filing the lawsuit. When it comes to filing a lawsuit, there is a lot of paperwork that has to be sent to the courthouse. The law firm will take all this paperwork there for you to save you a trip of having to leave the home while injured.
- Represent you. If your case cannot be settled, this means there needs to be a trial. At the trial, your lawyer will represent you and ensure that there is a well-prepared presentation for the jury.
- Meets with the insurance company. Settlement offers are often reached with insurance companies so your lawyer can advise you on how to talk to the insurance adjuster and can tell you what kind of claim is reasonable and fair. They can also help you to take other legal measures in the event that a settlement cannot be reached.
- Help you to define the damages. When you have had a personal injury or other damages, it can be hard to define them in a dollar amount for which you will seek compensation. A lawyer can help give you a dollar amount to ask for and ensure you are getting all the money you deserve.
When to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
You can hire a personal injury lawyer for any kind of injury or problem that has occurred as a result of someone acting negligently and causing you harm. However, serious injuries often require a lawyer because you are entitled to more compensation, and insurance companies often do not want to give it out.
Serious injuries include:
- Dismemberment
- Loss of use of a limb or organ
- Loss of a limb or organ
- Death
- Severe disfigurement
These injuries are considered serious because they affect your quality of life and they affect how you can work and earn income. This means you need more compensation in order to sustain yourself and ensure that you can still get all the things you need to live comfortably.
Compensation From a Personal Injury
The main point of hiring a personal injury lawyer after getting into an accident is so that you can receive compensation for all the injuries and problems you get from the accident.
There are three different kinds of compensation you might be entitled to including economic damages, noneconomic damages, and punitive damages.
Economic Damages
These are just like the name sounds and they are easy to define because they can easily be given a dollar amount.
The most common economic damages are:
- Property damage. These are items such as our car that was damaged during the accident.
- Lost income. If you are not able to work because of your injuries, you can get compensation for loss of income.
- Medical expenses. Most personal injuries require medical attention that needs to be compensated.
- Loss of earning potential. If you are not able to go back to work and earn income, you can receive compensation for the money you have lost.
- Other expenses might include the money you have to spend out of pocket as a direct result of your injury like needing to pay for childcare or cleaning services because you are no longer self-sufficient.
Non-Economic Damages
These damages are not as easy to define and give a specific dollar amount to which is why you need a lawyer to help. These damages are extremely important though and include:
- Loss of consortium. This includes how your injuries or accidents negatively affect your relationships.
- Scarring. If your appearance has changed and has left you feeling self-conscious, this is deserving of noneconomic damages.
- Pain and suffering. This is the distress that your injuries have caused you including emotional and physical issues.
Punitive Damages
These are different because they are not compensation for you or the person who has experienced the injury. They are made to punish the person or party who is responsible for the accident and injuries.
The Bottom Line
You don’t need to hire a lawyer for your personal injury case unless you want to. You can represent yourself in court and seek your compensation. This is not recommended though as it makes the process much harder and it can also increase your chances of getting less compensation because you do not have an experienced lawyer doing the bargaining for you.
When in doubt, always hire a lawyer in Denver for your personal injury case so that you can get the compensation you deserve.
