We pride ourselves on being independent. We go through life tackling problems head-on, and that can-do attitude has gotten us far. Then, out of nowhere, we get into an accident, and suddenly, our cherished independence is under threat.
When this happens to you, you need help from a fast-working advocate – a legal professional with years of experience – someone who will fight aggressively for your rights. You deserve a Hartford personal injury lawyer who works hard in pursuit of compensation to give you back your independence faster.
You might wonder, “What do personal injury lawyers actually do for their clients? Will hiring a lawyer help me get a fairer and faster settlement?” Let’s take a look at what a personal injury lawyer does and why you should hire one.
Cases Personal Injury Lawyers Handle
Personal injury attorneys handle cases involving negligent and deliberate acts that cause harm. This includes the following, among other types of cases:
- Slip and fall
- Dog bites
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Workplace injuries
- Nursing home abuse
- Wrongful death
A quick look at a law firm’s website can tell you whether it handles your type of case. You can expect to see examples of past cases and the results the firm achieved for its personal injury clients.
Generally, the more serious your injuries are, the more important it is to consult a personal injury lawyer as fast as possible. However, whatever personal injury you have suffered, make sure to talk to a personal injury lawyer about how to protect your rights.
Case Evaluation for Personal Injury Claims
The first step on the road to justice is to schedule a case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer as fast as you can. Most firms provide these free of charge, either over the phone or in person.
A personal injury lawyer with experience in your type of personal injury case will listen carefully to your story. It would be helpful if you could provide as much detail as possible and bring any evidence in your possession to the consultation. For instance, you may have medical records, photographs from the scene of the accident, or incident reports on hand.
Challenges and possibilities for personal injury claims
Connecticut personal injury lawyers will use their legal knowledge and experience to explain your legal options. At the same time, you can expect them to be frank about the opportunities and difficulties of your case.
If the attorney feels that your case has a strong chance of success, the law firm may offer to take it on.
Types of compensation available with personal injury claims
An experienced personal injury lawyer may even give you a ballpark figure for the amount of compensation you could receive.
He or she will talk you through the types of compensation you could receive, such as:
- Economic damages: These are the expenses you have incurred due to the accident. This could include medical bills, property damage, lost earnings, and lost earning capacity.
- Non-economic damages:These damages include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment in life, and loss of consortium.
- Punitive damages: These payments are awarded to punish the at-fault party, meted out in rare cases involving reckless indifference or intentional acts.
If you decide to move forward with your claim, the attorney will talk you through the legal process ahead toward getting compensation faster and easier.
A Hartford Personal Injury Lawyer Can Build a Strong Case for You
As soon as you hire a Connecticut personal injury attorney, you can expect him or her to get to work fast. He or she will investigate the accident to build a strong case for liability and a financial settlement.
Consider the following ways a personal injury lawyer can help your case.
A personal injury lawyer can establish liability
In every personal injury case, the attorney must and is able to prove:
- Duty of care: The at-fault party had a duty of care toward you
- Breach: The at-fault party’s reckless, negligent, or willful actions constituted a breach of his or her duty of care
- Causation: The breach was the direct cause of the accident that caused your injuries
- Damages: You suffered losses, such as medical expenses, lost income, property damage, or other expenses
Importantly, please note that if you are partly liable for the accident, you will receive less compensation than if you were not to blame at all. That being said, Connecticut’s modified comparative negligence laws let you pursue a claim for compensation even if you are up to 50 percent responsible for the accident.
An experienced Connecticut attorney will be able to explain whether this aspect of personal injury law applies to your case.
A personal injury attorney will investigate your accident
Personal injury attorneys must gather strong evidence to prove who is liable for the accident and thereby must pay damages for your injuries. To do so, the attorneys may work with investigators. They try to track down documents, photos, video footage, and witness statements for use in negotiations and at trial.
When investigating a serious accident, a personal injury attorney may hire accident reconstruction experts. This may be especially essential when the accident has caused permanent disability or other catastrophic injuries.
Accident reconstruction experts examine the case by looking backward from the time of the accident until the first event in a long chain that led up to the collision. They may also talk to law enforcement and eyewitnesses to build an accurate picture of what led up to the event. These expert witnesses are typically used in auto accidents and may be asked to testify in court.
Whatever the circumstances of your case, you can expect your personal injury attorney to build the strongest possible case to give you the best chance of securing maximum compensation.
An attorney can calculate damages for your personal injury claim
One of the key skills of an experienced personal injury attorney is investigating and calculating the losses caused by your accident. It is relatively straightforward to calculate economic damages. Your attorney will total the bills, lost earnings, property damage, and other expenses you have incurred, to come up with a final sum of losses suffered.
Additionally, a personal injury lawyer may work with medical professionals and financial experts to calculate the cost of future medical bills, lost earnings, and missed business opportunities.
Calculating non-economic damages, including pain and suffering, is both a science and an art. For less serious injuries, attorneys may use the “per diem” method. This involves the at-fault party paying a fixed amount for non-economic damages for each day the suffering lasted. For example, if the amount is $50 and your suffering was judged to have lasted 90 days, you would receive $4,500 in non-economic compensation.
Insurance companies and attorneys usually use the multiplier method in more serious cases. The total economic expenses are multiplied by a figure between 1.5 and 5 to calculate the non-economic damages. The more serious your injuries, the higher the multiplier figure will be. You can expect your personal injury attorney to play hardball in negotiations. He or she will use all available means to try to secure the highest multiplier figure possible.
An attorney will negotiate a settlement for your personal injury claim
Next, a personal injury attorney will begin negotiations by sending a demand letter to the responsible party and the insurance companies. This letter will state why you deserve damages and what is believed to be a fair settlement.
Your personal injury attorney will then handle the tough negotiations needed to pursue a fair settlement. He or she will bring to the table experience – built up over years of handling similar cases – to fight for what you deserve.
At times, this can be a tricky, drawn-out process, but hiring an experienced Hartford personal injury lawyer takes the burden off your shoulders. This may give you the best chance of avoiding litigation and achieving a faster settlement.
A personal injury lawyer will handle the litigation
Sometimes, it’s impossible to achieve fair compensation pretrial negotiations. When this happens, your personal injury lawyer will file a lawsuit and prepare to go to court. In 2021, over 460,000 civil cases were filed in US district courts. This included a 150-percent increase in personal injury and product liability filings.
When you work with a qualified attorney, he or she will handle all the paperwork involved with litigation. The law firm’s entire legal team can help prepare to present the strongest possible case in court.
A Hartford, CT injury attorney can represent you in court
At trial, your personal injury lawyer will do the following as needed:
- Participate in jury selection
- Argue your case
- Question and cross-examine witnesses
- Present closing statements
The jury or judge will make the final decision in a court case. However, make sure you choose a personal injury lawyer with trial experience as well as a winning record for past clients. This will boost your confidence in the event your case reaches the courtroom.
A personal injury lawyer can arrange your settlement distribution
If your case is successful, your personal injury lawyer can also help collect and distribute your settlement to you as fast as possible. When working on a contingency fee basis, he or she will deduct legal fees and other expenses before passing on the balance to you. In other words, there is no need to pay your attorney anything out of pocket, even if your case is unsuccessful.
You may prefer to receive ongoing payments rather than a lump sum. If so, your Connecticut personal injury attorney could help set up a structured settlement arrangement.
Contact Gould Injury Law – Connecticut’s “Fast Firm”
Choosing the right Hartford personal injury lawyer could give you the best chance of a fair settlement. The most dedicated injury attorneys work tirelessly for their clients. They push hard for fast results without compromising on quality.
The Connecticut personal injury attorneys at Gould Injury Law, known as “The Fast Firm,” understand that you need results as fast as possible. Do not choose a lawyer who will press the pause button on your life. Instead, choose a firm dedicated to getting faster results by aggressively pursuing justice from day one.
Find out fast if you have a case by scheduling a free consultation. Call us at 888-WIN-FAST or fill out our contact form, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
