When you are injured, through no fault of your own, often times it’s the result of someone else’s negligence. Whether it be a car accident someone else caused, a dog bite from a loose dog, an accidental slip and fall on the grocery store’s wet floor or some other form of painful bodily injury; the fact is, you wouldn’t have been injured, if somebody else had been taking care of their responsibilities.
If you are wondering whether or not you should seek a personal injury attorney, here are four great questions to ask yourself in the process:
- As a result of your injury, have you had to seek medical care? If the answer to this question is “yes”, then you should definitely consider the help of a personal injury attorney. Serious injuries usually result in huge medical bills and even if you’re lucky enough to have health insurance, you still have co pays and deductibles because of an injury someone else caused. The good news is the person who caused your injury may have liability, motor vehicle or home owner’s insurance which is intended to cover just this kind of loss and an attorney can help you with your claim.
- Are you experiencing pain or physical limitations due to your injury? Serious injuries result in pain and suffering at the time, but sometimes the treatments and recovery can be just as difficult and painful as the original injury. Experience tells us that injuries which appear to be minor at first can reveal themselves as more serious in time, and pain which seems manageable, can become chronic and even permanent. Ask yourself, have you had to give up recreational or social activities you once loved because you were hurt by someone else’s negligence? Do you have a permanent injury that has changed your life at home and work? Does pain limit you? These are all losses for which you have a right to recover and an attorney can help.
- Are physical limitations affecting your ability to work and perform normal tasks? Have you missed time from work or do you expect to miss time in the future for surgery or medical treatments as a result of your injury? How will you get paid when you are out? Who will pay your bills when you are in the hospital? Even worse, what happens if you run out of sick leave? Will your job be at risk? Every victim of serious injury worries about these things, and attorneys experienced in injury and employment law can combine their knowledge in these areas to ensure you get the full range of recovery and protection you’re entitled to.
- Do you have any existing evidence of the defendant’s potential negligence or liability? i.e. witnesses, police reports, photographs of existing hazards, documentation from hospitals and other possible parties? With evidence of wrong doing like this, your attorney can help you prove your claim so you can recover.
If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you are are in need of a good personal injury attorney experienced at making sure you don’t miss out on potential compensation that is due to you. In most personal injury cases, your attorney will be paid by what is called a contingent fee. This fee is only charged after your claim is complete and an award is collected. This means you can afford to seek compensation for your injuries without the financial risk. Your attorney only gets paid when you do. Contact a personal injury attorney near you for a free consultation.
To learn more about personal injury cases and the details of NH personal injury law, read Part 2 of our series, titled: "What is a personal injury claim?"