After an accident, you may be dealing with injuries that prevent you from working. You may be in constant pain or dealing with multiple treatments for injuries that were not your fault. You may also consider simply accepting an offer from the other person’s insurance company without talking to an attorney. Just as you would not create your own treatment plan for the injuries you have suffered, you should not make decisions on your settlement without talking to an attorney. If you have used one of the following ten excuses as a reason for not hiring a personal injury attorney, you need to reconsider your understanding of how an attorney can help.
I’m Not Looking to Get Rich.
The purpose of personal injury law is simply to make you whole, not make you rich. The types of damages you can recover in a Las Vegas personal injury case are limited to items such as medical bills, out of pocket expenses and pain and suffering (past and future). Juries are instructed to award a pain and suffering equivalent only to the harm someone suffered. The only people who are awarded large sums of money are those that have suffered and/or will suffered a large amount. An experienced personal injury attorney will make sure that you get a fair settlement – whether that is large or small. The insurance adjustor is going to try to get away with paying as little as possible while your attorney will fight for your rights.
It’s Not Really That Bad or I’m Not Really That Hurt.
Many people do not realize the extent of their injuries for some time. For example, some people are hurt after an accident and assume the pain will go away quickly. The pain from some injuries will not go away without medical intervention such as injections or surgery. It is important to have an experienced Las Vegas personal injury attorney on your side to make sure you are treated fairly in the event the injury is worse than you think.
Even a minor injury can lead to permanent damage. Although you may have suffered minor muscle strain, the damage to your muscles can lead to issues as you get older. Some relatively “minor” injuries can cause permanent damage to ligaments or lead to future problems such as arthritis. A Las Vegas personal injury attorney an help make sure the insurance company has the appropriate documentation to completely evaluate your claim.
A Lawyer Will Complicate Matters.
A Las Vegas personal injury lawyer’s job is to make the case less complicated for you. After you hire an attorney, you no longer have to deal with insurance companies, adjusters or the person who caused your injury. Your lawyer will do all of that for you. This relieves you of the significant burden of negotiating settlements, providing medical documentation and other issues that arise after an accident. Hiring a personal injury attorney allows you to focus on healing. Statistics show that stress can delay the healing process. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you reduce stress so your injuries heal faster.
Accidents Just Happen
It is true that accidents happen. The State of Nevada knows accidents happen and that is why they require drivers to have insurance. The system is set up so that people who are hurt in accidents can get fair compensation. In fact, the insurance companies have statistics that predict the number of accidents that will occur each year and how much they will have to pay out in claims. If you are injured in an accident and do not make a claim, the only one that benefits is the insurance company because they save money on a claim they would have paid out.
I Don’t Want the Other Person to Lose Their Home or Income
Hiring a personal injury lawyer does not necessarily mean you plan to file a lawsuit. An attorney will simply review the case, work with the insurance company and fight for your rights under the law. The majority of personal injury cases are settled out of court and the settlement is usually covered by insurance. This means that the other person will not pay out-of-pocket at all so their personal property is safe. Additionally, in the rare case that it makes sense to go after someone’s personal assets, the client can always decide to just accept someone’s insurance policy and close the case.
I Can Handle it Myself.
Insurance companies know that someone representing without a lawyer probably is not going to file a lawsuit. The insurance companies also know that the best personal injury attorneys in Las Vegas will file a lawsuit if it does make a fair offer. That is why a study conducted by the insurance companies showed that people who hire lawyers get 3.5x more than people who do not hire lawyers.
I Don’t Have Money to Pay a Lawyer.
The best part about hiring one of the best personal injury lawyer’s in Las Vegas is that you don’t pay until you win your case. You should not have to pay a dime out of pocket for a personal injury lawyer to begin representing you. A reputable personal injury lawyer will also front any court costs and expert costs for you so you do not have to pay any money out of pocket.
I Don’t Want a Lawyer to Take My Money.
A study paid for by the insurance companies show that people who hire personal injury attorneys get 3.5 times more than people who try to settle a case on their own. This more than makes up for the fees earned by the personal injury lawyer.
I Don’t Want My Insurance to Go Up.
Making a claim against the other driver has no impact on your insurance rates. If you have under insured motorist coverage, uninsured motorist coverage or medical payments coverage, you may want to make a claim on your own policy. As a no-fault claim, these claims should have no impact on your insurance. More importantly, you pay for those policies every month to protect you if you need it.
I’ve Never Seen The Lawyer on TV.
The question you should be asking is if other lawyers have seen the Las Vegas personal injury lawyer in court. Lawyers who are willing to go to court to fight for their clients generally get better results and better settlement offers because insurance companies know the lawyer will not back down. Lawyers who always settle tend to get worse offers because the insurance company knows what lawyers will not go to court.
Jordan Schnitzer is one of a select few who are certified personal injury specialists in Las Vegas, Nevada by the State Bar of Nevada. The personal injury specialist certification requires extensive courtroom and jury trial experience, in addition to passing a written and verbal test specific to personal injury law. Make sure your Las Vegas personal injury attorney is actually seen in the courtroom.
If you have been injured in an accident, contact the Schnitzer Law Firm today to set up your initial consultation. You can reach us by phone at 702-960-4050, by email at Contact@TheSchnitzerLawFirm.com or by visiting our website.