When someone’s reckless or negligent actions result in you receiving a personal injury, there can be some uncertainty about what you need to recover. Insurance companies may act fast to convince you to accept their initial offer, and tell you that lawyers only make things worse, but is it true?
There is a lot that goes into a personal injury lawsuit. Depending on whether you pursue litigation or a settlement, it can take weeks or months to receive compensation for your injuries. When the wait can be so long, why do people file a claim instead of just taking a check from insurance?
How filing a claim can help you
A quick accident causes you to suffer an injury, and not you are facing medical bills, lost income, and other expenses. If a victim is lucky enough to see the at-fault party’s insurance company accept liability, that does not always mean they are getting the best outcome.
Insurance companies often try to pay off a victim with a lowball settlement offer to sweep the problem under the rug. The offer they present may hardly reflect the injury’s current costs and may entirely ignore the future costs. Filing a claim with an attorney can drastically improve the situation.
Lawyers know how much the cost of an injury is, and they know how to negotiate for compensation that reflects it. Without a claim to help maximize your compensation, you risk paying for your expenses out of your pocket.
Fight for your future
At-fault parties often hope that victims do not pursue a claim for their injuries. Without a personal injury claim, a victim loses much of their leverage to get what they need to recover from the accident properly. Attorneys also only collect fees if they win their client’s case, and only take the payment from the awarded compensation.
A victim does not face a risk from hiring an attorney and does not need any money upfront to recover when a claim is only in the client’s best interest.