Sometimes the unexpected can happen. While that’s often a fact of life, these unplanned instances can occasionally result in emotional, physical, or mental pain or distress, if not a combination of all three. It can seem particularly unfair when you were simply a victim of someone else’s careless mistake, as their actions have directly impacted you. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can affect you physically, emotionally, and financially for weeks, months, or even years to come. Having to pay for someone’s failures can take its toll, leaving you feeling alone in such a trying situation.
However, it’s important to know that you do not need to go through the aftermath of an accident on your own. Injury lawyers are ready to step in and support you, offering you a way to get back on your feet and move forward from such an incident. But what exactly is an injury lawyer, and how can they help you? Let’s take a look below.
What is an injury lawyer?
During law school and articling, future lawyers are given the opportunity to specialize in a particular stream of the law. Since the law is incredibly complex and vast, it would be unreasonable for a lawyer to know every facet of it if they hope to provide adequate service to their clients. Therefore, injury lawyers are lawyers who have chosen to dedicate their growing knowledge and expertise to personal injury cases.
A personal injury case is one where someone acts in a negligent manner, and their careless actions have caused harm to another person. Injury lawyers will represent the innocent, injured party, ensuring they receive fair justice and compensation.
How can an injury lawyer help you?
Financial Compensation
The main way in which an injury lawyer can help you is by fighting for you to receive fair and reasonable financial compensation. When you’re injured, whether that be in a car accident, a slip and fall accident, a medical malpractice situation, or any other scenario where you are not at fault, it’s likely that you will experience financial hardship. Due to the injury, many personal injury victims are forced to take time off work and may not be paid for their time away. When medical, physiotherapy, and therapy bills are added on top of rent, car payments, and utility bills, you may find yourself struggling to stay afloat.
Injury lawyers work to have the guilty party pay you for compensation, whether that be directly or through their insurance company. While some may worry about adding the cost of a lawyer to the mix, never fear; injury lawyers are not paid until you are. Plus, their fees come out of your compensation package, meaning you don’t lose any money that you didn’t already have.
Emotional Support
Injury lawyers also offer emotional support to their clients. With years of experience, injury lawyers have seen numerous first-hand accounts of how negligence can negatively impact the people in their community. Therefore, they understand how important it is to act as a shoulder to lean on. By providing guidance, advice, and support, injury lawyers strive to help their clients feel less alone in this process.
Legal Expertise
While some individuals may choose to tackle a personal injury case on their own, they may quickly become overwhelmed with the legal system in which they need to navigate. Between documents that need filing, settlement appearances, and the need to acquire proof of wrongdoing, some may feel like they are out of their element. Injury lawyers have years, if not decades, of experience and will know exactly how to tackle your case.
Plus, injury lawyers will know what an acceptable settlement amount is. Many lawyers and insurance companies from the opposing side will try to save money by offering a lower amount. Your lawyer will be able to advise you on whether that settlement offer is fair.