The Importance of Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer
After you’re hurt in a car accident, truck accident, or slip and fall, you might think you can handle a claim for your damages all on your own. After all, how hard could it be? You may have obviously been the victim of someone else’s mistake or reckless act, and the insurance company or court is bound to agree and make sure you’re fully compensated… right? Unfortunately, the legal system isn’t always that straightforward, nor that fair. Hiring an attorney will ensure that you have the best chance to get the money you need to make a full recovery when you or a loved one has been hurt.
Attorneys can handle the crush of paperwork and meet deadlines that the self-represented often miss
Handling a claim for injuries in New York involves a number of very strict deadlines. There are statutes of limitation which apply to every claim that can be brought in court, but there are also certain deadlines by which to file claims with an insurer as well as other procedural benchmarks which, if allowed to pass, can result in you losing your chance to get paid for your injuries at all. Hiring an attorney will give you peace of mind, knowing that someone with experience is making sure that all documents have been prepared to a high standard and have been filed on time.
Attorneys know what evidence you’ll need to make your case, and can gather it efficiently
Failing to hire an attorney early on can result in a loss of evidence, which can keep you from bringing or proving certain claims in a lawsuit. Being inexperienced in personal injury law, you may not realize what evidence is significant and what isn’t. Also, you don’t have the time to dedicate to interviewing witnesses or corporate representatives, to carefully comb through documents, or draft settlement demands that lay out why you’re entitled to damages. An attorney will walk you through the process of building and strengthening your claims, ensuring that evidence and memories are preserved so that you’re prepared to go to trial, should settlement talks fail.
Attorneys understand how to value your claims, to ensure you’ll receive everything you need
After you’re hurt unexpectedly in an accident, your doctor has likely explained the extent of your injuries to you, as well as the things you’ll need to do to recover fully. However, it can be difficult to plan for exactly how much that will cost over a lifetime. Not only will hiring an attorney early on in the process result in the preservation of all your claims and evidence; it will also prevent you from settling for an amount falling far below what you’re owed. Insurance companies and unscrupulous defendants know that the best time to try and get you to settle is when you don’t know how much the accident is truly going to cost you and your family over the course of your lifetime. Attorneys experienced in handling personal injury claims have seen enough similar injuries to know what you should expect in terms of costs, as well as losses of income from missing work or permanently losing earning capacity.
When you need money for months or years of medical expenses, lost work, emotional suffering, or physical pain, don’t risk your chance of being compensated by trying to learn the law and court system overnight. Hire attorneys with decades of experience in recovering damages for victims of negligent actors, who have the skills and resources to offer you the best opportunity to be made whole after an injury. After your injury accident in New York, contact the knowledgeable and determined Hudson Valley personal injury lawyers at Dupée & Monroe for a free evaluation of your claim, in Goshen at 845-294-8900.
