How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help Me?
After being injured, you may feel as though your life is on hold. You may spend time in the hospital, and you may have to spend weeks or months at home recovering. The injury may prevent you from working, which increases your concerns about the medical bills and other expenses you incur.
If you were injured through no fault of your own, you have rights. A personal injury lawyer can help you pursue the compensation you deserve from the party or parties at fault.
Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, Ltd has been serving clients in serious and catastrophic personal injury cases in Rhode Island for over 40 years. For a free consultation, please call (401) 273-8330 today to speak with an attorney in Providence.
Reasons to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
When you decide to hire a personal injury lawyer, it is important to find a law firm with the experience, results, and expertise to handle your claim effectively. An attorney or firm that meets these criteria can help you with the following situations:
1. Your Injuries Are Serious
Serious and catastrophic injuries generally require extensive and ongoing medical intervention. They frequently result in long-term and permanent effects on your life.
In cases of serious or catastrophic injury, you need an attorney who:
- Understands the medicine behind your injuries
- Has access to experts who can evaluate your condition and provide testimony on how your life may be affected
- Can calculate the full extent of damages based on your injuries (with the input of experts)
Fear and uncertainty are dominant emotions after a life-changing trauma. An experienced personal injury lawyer can give you and your family much-needed peace of mind.
2. You May Not Know What Your Case Is Worth
Serious injuries often result in a tide of medical bills. You may also face significant financial outlays for other costs, such as prescription medications, assistance devices, traveling to doctor’s appointments, household services, and more. Combine these expenses with the loss of income due to your injuries keeping you out of work, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by money troubles as you try to cope with your injuries.
If the injury was not your fault, you may be aware that the expenses above (medical bills, lost wages, and out-of-pocket costs) may be recovered through a personal injury claim. However, there may be additional damages in your case you won’t know about without the guidance of a qualified personal injury attorney, including:
- Loss of future earnings
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Disability
- And more
Your personal injury lawyer can advise you how much you may be able to recover in your case.
3. You Have a Limited Time to Take Legal Action
Though you may be facing a long road to recovery, the legal system will not wait for you to get back to 100 percent for you to file a claim. In Rhode Island, the common statute of limitations for personal injury and medical malpractice claims is 3 years from the date of the injury.
The process of preparing a personal injury claim is time-consuming. Success is contingent on thorough investigation, expert evaluation, and more. A personal injury attorney can handle these steps on your behalf and in a timely manner so you don’t lose the opportunity to be fairly compensated for your injuries.
4. The Settlement Offer Is Unfair
When an insured injures someone else through negligence, the insurance carrier takes immediate steps to limit the amount they have to pay.
One common tactic of insurance companies is to offer a low settlement shortly after the accident. The offer may arrive before you even have a chance to file a claim.
If you receive an offer from the insurance company to settle, it is important to contact a personal injury lawyer before you decide to accept. Remember: Once you settle, you lose the ability to pursue further compensation for your injuries.
When you hire a personal injury lawyer, you have a dedicated advocate who knows how to negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. Insurance companies take claims more seriously when the claimant has an attorney, so they are more likely to offer a fair settlement.
What If I Am Partially at Fault?
In car accidents and other types of personal injury claims, it is not uncommon for injury victims to hesitate before hiring an attorney out of concern that they were partially at fault. If the evidence shows you were partly at fault, you are not barred from recovering personal injury damages. Your compensation will, however, be reduced according to the principle of comparative negligence.
According to the Rhode Island comparative negligence law, partial negligence on the part of the plaintiff “shall not bar a recovery.” However, “damages shall be diminished by the finder of fact in proportion to the amount of negligence attributable to the person injured.”
An experienced personal injury lawyer can advise you how your negligence in the accident may affect your claim. He or she can also investigate and present evidence to the contrary if the at-fault party falsely claims that you are partly liable.
What If My Claim Is Denied?
If you file a claim against the at-fault party’s insurer and the claim is denied, you may need to file a lawsuit to recover the compensation you deserve. However, a knowledgeable personal injury attorney may still be able to negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf.
Sometimes, following through with filing a lawsuit is enough to bring the insurer back to the negotiating table. The insurance company knows the cost and the uncertainty of going to court. As a result, its attorneys may seek to resolve the case before it goes to trial.
5. Your Case Goes to Trial
Many personal injury claims are settled through negotiations. However, if your lawyer and the at-fault party or parties cannot agree, it may be necessary to proceed to trial.
If this is the case, you need a personal injury attorney with the experience and expertise to advocate on your behalf. Not all lawyers spend a lot of time in the courtroom; you need a trial attorney.
Trial lawyers devote themselves to securing the full measure of justice for their clients. They know court procedure, know how to argue cases before a judge and jury, and often stand toe-to-toe on behalf of their clients against major corporations and moneyed institutions. Experienced trial attorneys are recognized by their peers and known by the insurance companies for not settling claims unless it is in the best interests of their clients.
When you have been seriously injured and the insurance company and other parties place obstacles in your path, you deserve nothing less than a trial lawyer who specializes in personal injury law. This choice can make a big difference in recovering the compensation you deserve.
How Our Providence Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You
Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, Ltd has achieved landmark decisions in a wide range of personal injury cases. Our victories have not only resulted in just compensation for our clients, but changes in the law and how companies do business in Rhode Island.
For more than 40 years, our law firm has maintained a focus on serious and catastrophic injury claims. This experience enables us to provide quality legal service to clients who need it the most.
Please call (401) 273-8330 today for a free case evaluation. Our personal injury attorneys serve clients in Providence and throughout Rhode Island.
