The short answer to when you need to hire an injury trial lawyer after your accident is right away. However, we understand that there might be some circumstances surrounding your accident where you might have doubts about the need to hire an attorney for your injury. At Maxwell Tillman, we want to let you know when you should hire an attorney so you can ensure you’re protected in the event an injury suit goes to trial.
There’s a liability dispute
Not every accident or injury is the direct result of another person’s actions, so it’s not uncommon for there to be an injury where there’s no party responsible at all. Although, if you feel you’ve been injured as a result of another party’s negligence, you’re entitled to damages as a result of the injury.
In contrast, you might be accused of injuring an individual. You need to hire a lawyer to argue in your defense. An injury attorney can fight either side of the case to help ensure you and your finances are protected from someone’s claim that you injured them.
There’s another party involved
Regardless of whether or not the other party is liable for any injuries sustained on either side of an accident, you need an attorney on your side. For instance, consider a minor fender bender where nobody appeared to be injured at the scene of the accident. You might be contacted by the other party months down the road looking for damages. They could be claiming that they sustained a neck injury, for which they’re continuing to receive medical treatment. If you have an injury trial lawyer in your corner, you won’t have to worry about scrambling to get someone to defend your side of the story.
You sustained a traumatic injury
Traumatic injuries can be temporary or linger for the rest of your life. Regardless of how long your injury lasts, you need to be able to get the necessary medical care to treat it. A lawyer can help you get a court order for the person or entity responsible for your injuries to pay for care. It doesn’t matter if you’re working with an individual or insurance company; you need to get care for physical, mental, and emotional injuries that come as a direct result of an injury.
Your insurance company is dragging its feet
Your insurance company wants you to think they’re on your side. Most will go to great lengths to make you think they’ll have your back the moment you need them, but this isn’t always the case. It’s not unusual for companies to act in bad faith when their customers don’t have an attorney representing them. Signs your insurance company isn’t acting in good faith can include but are not limited to:
Don’t let your insurance company try to bully you into not getting the money you’re entitled to. You’ve paid your insurance premiums and deserve to be paid appropriately.
You need help gathering evidence
An injury lawsuit functions similarly to a criminal case in that you’re going to need evidence to prove your case. Gathering police reports, medical documents, and other items can be difficult. You should have someone on your side who knows how to jump through the necessary hoops to get as much evidence as possible to back your case. An injury attorney is well-versed in the process of obtaining the documents you need and will help from start to finish.
Contact us for a free consultation
If you need to hire injury trial lawyers, get in touch with us at Maxwell Tillman. You can schedule a free consultation to speak with a member of our team of injury attorneys. Give us a call at 205-216-3304 or send a message using our online contact form.