What is a "Personal Injury" attorney?

If you have been injured by another and have suffered damages, you need the assistance of a “personal injury” attorney. You, a loved one, or a friend may have been injured in an automobile accident, a motorcycle accident, a workplace accident or a slip and fall. You may have been injured through the negligence of a doctor, hospital or nursing home, or perhaps you were assaulted, suffered a dog bite, or experienced some other injury due to the actions, inactions or intentional conduct of another.

You can be sure that the responsible party will be represented by an insurance company, and often an attorney hired by the insurance company. Their job is to limit your recovery. Your job is to understand the nature of your claim, and to navigate through the maze of obstacles to obtain a fair recovery.

Your “personal injury” attorney will help you with these tasks. Accordingly, your “personal injury” attorney immediately will begin to assess liability issues and begin advising you regarding the nature of your damages.

Your “personal injury” attorney will answer your questions about what types of damages you are entitled to, including damages for pain and suffering, lost wages, permanent disability and/or impairment, permanent scarring and/or disfiguration, increased risk of arthritis, osteoporosis and similar conditions.

You often will look to your “personal injury” attorney to answer your immediate questions about how to settle your property damage claim (often for damage to a motor vehicle).

Your “personal injury” attorney will immediately stop all communications from the responsible party’s insurance company to your home and office.

Your “personal injury” attorney may arrange for an accident reconstructionist to analyze the accident scene to assist in a determination of liability.

Your “personal injury” attorney will contact each of your medical providers and employers to obtain relevant medical and wage loss information.

Your “personal injury” attorney will assist you in understanding your insurance coverage (if any), including your “medical payments” coverage under a motor vehicle insurance policy, and whether you may be entitled to “uninsured” and/or “underinsured” coverage.

Your “personal injury” attorney will assist you in understanding the insurance coverage of the responsible party (if any), including how much insurance money is available to pay your claim.

Your “personal injury” attorney will also assist you with analyzing the assets of the responsible party if it becomes necessary to look to their assets to fully compensate you for your injuries.

Your “personal injury” attorney will negotiate with the insurance company and/or the responsible party in an attempt to settle your claim.

If settlement negotiations fail, your “personal injury” attorney will file suit on your behalf, prosecute your claim and take your case to trial.