Personal Injury Legal Services
USA Legal Plan members who have a Personal Injury matter, such as a Motor Vehicle Accident, Medical Malpractice, Products Liability or a Slip and Fall Accident, will receive unlimited free consultations and your attorney will work on a reduced contingency fee basis. For USA Legal Plan members, that contingency fee – or the fee your attorney will charge only if they win your case – is reduced.
PERSONAL INJURY FAQs
- What Exactly is a Personal Injury Case?
- How do I Know if I have a Personal Injury Case?
- How Much is my Personal Injury Case Worth?
- What Should I Do if I’m Hurt in an Accident?
1. What Exactly is a Personal Injury Case?
Personal injury cases arise from such a wide array of situations that it would be impossible to list them all here. Some of the most common are car accidents, slip and fall injuries, motorcycle accidents, and work injuries, but any time someone is harmed by the fault of another person or company, there might be a personal injury claim. In fact, personal injury lawyers often handle negligence claims that don’t actually involve physical injuries at all – negligent destruction of property, for instance.
2. How do I Know if I have a Personal Injury Case?
You can find out whether or not you have a viable personal injury claim by talking to a personal injury lawyer. Among many other elements, there are a few main things a claimant must prove in order to recover in a personal injury case: that you suffered damages, that the defendant was negligent, and that the defendant’s negligence caused your damages. Even if you have a valid claim, though, your personal injury attorney will have to investigate whether or not you would be able to collect on your claim. If the other party does not have insurance and does not have other assets that could be used to compensate you, then it may be that you have a valid claim but will be unable to collect compensation for it.
3. How Much is my Personal Injury Case Worth?
A number of factors figure into the monetary value of your personal injury claim. For instance, the value of your case is dependent on by the nature and degree of your personal injuries; the amount of your medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and other financial losses; pain and suffering; and present and future disability. Even when those factors are considered, there are significant variations in the value of a personal injury claim based on the amount of insurance involved or the assets of the defendant, any partial fault on the part of the injured person, the victim’s willingness/ability to invest a long period of time in litigating the claim versus the need for a relatively quick settlement, and more. A personal injury lawyer can weigh the various factors to give you their estimate on the outcome of your case.
4. What Should I Do if I’m Hurt in an Accident?
First and foremost, get medical attention. At the same time, if you’re able, you may want to create a record that could help protect your claim. File a police report, either at the scene or as soon as possible afterward. Try to get names and contact information from any witnesses. If you’re able, write down exactly what happened as soon as possible after the event. Take photographs. Accident scene photographs often provide valuable evidence. And, of course, you can talk to a personal injury lawyer to get advice about how to proceed, what kind of records you should be keeping, and how to handle any phone calls you should receive from the other party’s insurance company.
