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Personal injury lawyers assist people who have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, helping them receive fair and fast compensation for the harm they have suffered. Additionally, they aid families who have lost a loved one in death due to another party’s reckless or deliberate actions.
Have you recently been harmed in an accident caused by someone else? You may be wondering how to pursue money for your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses. A personal injury lawyer can get you through every step of filing a personal injury claim.
At Gould Injury Law, we know that a serious accident can derail your life and that you need your claim settled as fast as possible. Our legal team acts fast to help our clients get the maximum compensation they deserve.
What to Expect From Your Initial Consultation With a Connecticut Personal Injury Lawyer
Most Connecticut personal injury attorneys offer potential clients an initial free case review. The first consultation will give you a chance to meet the lawyer and ask any questions you have. Use this as an opportunity to get a feel for whether he or she is the right fit for your case.
It will also give the attorney an opportunity to assess the strength of your personal injury claim. He or she can identify anything that could affect the success of your claim and determine what type of compensation you are eligible to pursue.
During your first meeting, the lawyer will waste no time in gathering information about your accident. The lawyer will try to fully understand how the accident occurred and how your injuries have affected your life.
The following are some of the questions a personal injury lawyer may ask you during an initial consultation:
- What was the time, date, and location of the accident?
- How did the accident occur?
- Were there any eyewitnesses to the accident? If so, do you have their contact information?
- Have you communicated with the insurance company?
- Do you have a copy of the police report?
- What are the nature and extent of your injuries?
- Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions?
- Do you have copies of your medical records and doctor’s bills?
- Have you missed work because of the accident?
- Can you provide documentation of lost wages?
Once the personal injury lawyer has reviewed your claim, he or she can let you know whether you have a solid case. While a lawyer cannot guarantee a specific outcome, he or she can advise you on the strengths and weaknesses of your case.
Your Connecticut Personal Injury Lawyer Will Act Fast to Investigate Your Case and Gather Evidence
After your initial consultation with a personal injury attorney, you will have a chance to decide whether you want to hire him or her. If you are not satisfied, you can consult someone else. Once you have chosen a lawyer to represent you and signed all of the necessary paperwork, your lawyer will quickly get started on your case.
In order for your personal injury claim to be successful, your attorney will need to gather evidence. The evidence must prove causation, fault, liability, and damages. The type of evidence needed will depend on your specific case.
However, the following are some common types of evidence used in personal injury cases:
- Visual evidence: Photos of the accident scene, dash cam videos, and video surveillance footage from nearby security cameras
- Documentation: Copies of police or accident reports, medical records and other medical evidence, insurance information from the other driver, and other documentation
- Eyewitness testimony: Statements from anyone who saw the incident that caused your injury
- Consultations with experts. Accident reconstructionists, medical professionals, and other experts can provide testimony to support your personal injury claim
Your lawyer will work fast to gather and preserve any evidence to support your case before it is lost or destroyed.
Connecticut Personal Injury Attorneys Can Calculate How Much Your Claim Is Worth
After an accident, most people understand that they should be compensated for their medical bills. However, some personal injury victims only think about the immediate impact of an accident.
This is understandable because they may be receiving phone calls from the insurance company. The insurers may pressure claimants to settle. Meanwhile, their medical expenses pile up because their injuries prevent them from working.
A Connecticut personal injury lawyer who handles your type of case on a regular basis can give you a more accurate estimate of what your claim is worth.
A lawyer can act fast to consult experts to provide you with an estimate of your financial losses, which could include:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Lost income
- Loss of earning capacity
- Property damage
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
For wrongful death cases, a personal injury lawyer may be able to help the family recover damages for:
- Funeral costs
- Burial expenses
- Loss of household services
- Non-economic damages such as loss of companionship
A Demand Letter Is Sent to the At-Fault Party
Your personal injury attorney may send a demand letter to the party that caused your injury or to his or her insurance company. A demand letter outlines relevant information about the case.
The letter may include a description of events leading up to the accident, the type of injury you suffered, and how it affects your daily life. The demand letter also states the dollar amount that you want as a settlement.
After the defendant or the insurance company receives the letter, one of the following outcomes may occur:
- The demand is met: The best possible outcome is that the insurance company accepts all aspects of the financial demand and pays for damages in full.
- They make a counteroffer: Insurance companies may send back a counteroffer for an amount less than you are requesting. You and your personal injury attorney will then need to decide whether to accept or reject the offer.
- Refusal of the demand: The defendant and the insurance company may completely refuse to pay any part of your personal injury claim. If this happens, your lawyer will take fast action to advise you on your options and next steps.
Connecticut Personal Injury Attorneys Handle Negotiations With the Insurance Companies
Personal injury lawyers have extensive experience negotiating with insurance companies. They are familiar with the tactics that insurers use to reduce the value of a claim or deny it altogether.
Your attorney will review the specifics of the insurance policy and determine the maximum level of compensation possible based on the specific circumstances of your personal injury case. Accident victims have a better chance of obtaining fair compensation for their losses if they have a fast-acting Connecticut personal injury attorney to negotiate with the insurance adjuster on their behalf.
Most personal injury claims are settled through negotiations with the insurance company. If your claim is successful, you will receive a check from the insurer, and your case will be finalized. However, in some situations, a fair compensation agreement cannot be reached. If this happens, your lawyer may recommend filing a lawsuit.
Preparing and Filing a Connecticut Personal Injury Lawsuit
If settlement negotiations with the insurance company do not go well, your lawyer may advise filing a lawsuit as a next step in pursuing compensation. However, even after filing a lawsuit, your lawyer will continue to try to resolve your personal injury claim through negotiations. In fact, statistics show that 95 percent of pending lawsuits end in a pre-trial settlement.
In the rare situation where your personal injury claim goes all the way to court, an experienced attorney will represent you before a judge and/or jury. At trial, both your lawyer and the other party will present each side of the case. After their presentations, the jury will render a verdict.
If your case is successful, you will be issued monetary compensation for your losses.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Connecticut Personal Injury Attorney?
As an accident victim, you may hold back from hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer because you are concerned about the cost. Understandably, you do not want to take on any additional expenses after your injury.
You will be glad to know that most Connecticut personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means they do not charge an upfront legal fee. Their legal fee is collected in the form of a percentage of whatever compensation their client is awarded.
If your case is unsuccessful and you are not awarded a settlement, you do not owe the lawyer anything. When you hire a lawyer who works fast and on contingency, though, this alleviates the stress of another financial burden or running out of time to get your money.
Contact “The Fast Firm” for Help With Your Connecticut Personal Injury Claim
If you were harmed in an accident in Connecticut and someone else is to blame, hiring a personal injury attorney to represent you can mean the difference between receiving maximum compensation for your losses or walking away with nothing.
The experienced legal team at Gould Injury Law understands that, after an accident, you want to receive fair and fast compensation for your claim. We pride ourselves on being the “The Fast Firm” and will work to get your claim settled as quickly as possible.