When Do You Need to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?

If you or a loved one has been injured and suffered damages due to another party’s negligence or fault, you should consider hiring a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.  After a serious accident, victims may find themselves dealing with trauma, pain and suffering, and facing mounting medical and household bills at a time they are unable to work, and they may be entitled to compensation through insurance or a personal injury lawsuit.

While it is possible to try to file a claim on your own, Kentucky injury laws are complicated, and insurance companies are out for profit and will often try to deny claims or get you to settle for less than your case is worth. Navigating the legal intricacies surrounding personal injury claims is difficult, but a skilled accident attorney can take the burden off you and assist in every aspect of your case — from helping you find the right medical care, to conducting investigations and gathering evidence, to taking your case to court if necessary.

When to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer

After an accident, it is always advisable to speak to a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer. Some injuries take time to manifest, and you may wind up with more severe problems than you originally thought. Most injury attorneys offer a free consultation to discuss the circumstances of your accident, so you really have nothing to lose.

While an accident with no damages or injuries may not require a lawyer, the following are some key situations when it is most important to hire a personal injury attorney:

• You have suffered injuries serious enough to require medical treatment. Your attorney can steer you to the right medical experts, specialists, and rehabilitation professionals; document your injuries; and help assess what the long-term impact of your injuries may be. This directly affects the amount of compensation you may be entitled to.
• Your injuries require hospitalization, surgeries, and long-term care. Injuries such as brain, spinal cord, back and neck injuries may be permanent and are extremely expensive to treat.
• You miss work and lose wages due to your injuries. Some injuries make it impossible for you to return to work for a long period and may leave you permanently unable to do your job in the future or unable to do any type of work at all. Your attorney will have you evaluated by experts and consider all of this in determining the value of your case.
• You have significant pain and suffering due to your injuries or are experiencing emotional trauma, depression, and anxiety that impacts your ability to enjoy life and social and marital situations.  These are considered to be non-economic damages – damages that do not have a specific dollar value but negatively impact your life — and they often bring more in compensation than your monetary losses.
• Your injuries were caused by defective or dangerous products or by medical malpractice. Large corporations and medical professionals have a team of high-powered lawyers working for them, fully prepared to defend their clients, and it is important to have an experienced lawyer to go up against them.
• You are dealing with insurance companies who are denying your claim, refusing to give you fair compensation, or pressuring you to accept a lowball offer. Insurance companies will often try to get you to make a recorded statement and try to trick you into saying something that they can interpret as showing that you were at fault. Your personal injury lawyer knows how insurance companies operate and how to negotiate a fair settlement, and is willing to take your case to court. Going to trial is costly, and once insurance companies know you have an attorney looking out for your interests they often start negotiating in earnest.
• The accident involves complex legal issues or liability that is unclear and difficult to prove. Your attorney can hire accident reconstruction experts who know how to investigate your case, gather evidence and determine where fault lies. Be aware that Kentucky follows a pure comparative negligence system, which means that if you did anything to contribute to the accident, you can recover only a percentage of damages equal to the relative level you will be found to be at fault.

Do I Need a Personal Injury Attorney?

After an accident, unless you have only minor injuries and damages, chances are you should have a personal injury attorney fighting for your rights.  Having an attorney can provide the following benefits:

• Determination of what your case should be worth and what type of settlement to go after. Based on similar cases, your attorney will know what a fair settlement should be.
• Legal expertise to navigate Kentucky’s complex injury laws. A personal injury lawyer understands injury law and can help you navigate the legal system, file necessary paperwork within required time frames, and advocate for your rights. For example, Kentucky has a statute of limitations, a deadline to file for most personal injury claims of one year from the date of the injury (Kentucky Revised Statutes Section 413.14); for auto accident claims (KRS § 304.39-230) the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the collision. If you do not file on time, the courts are likely to dismiss your case.
• Ability to investigate and gather evidence. Your attorney will have the resources and experience needed to know what to look for and how to gather and preserve evidence, and can interview witnesses and first responders. Personal injury attorneys have connections with experts to investigate and testify as to how the accident happened and who was at fault.
• Ability to negotiate with insurance companies. An experienced attorney will examine the facts of your situation and negotiate for a fair settlement that covers ALL the damages you received – not just some of them. Compensable  damages may include:
  • Past and future medical expenses
  • Loss of current and future income
  • Property damaged in the accident
  • Physical and emotional pain and suffering
  • Disability
  • Loss of consortium and enjoyment of life
  • Wrongful death.
• Representation in court if litigation becomes necessary. Should negotiations break down, your attorney will build your case and present it in court, ensuring that your interests are protected and fighting for the best settlement possible.

Get Help When You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer

After a serious accident, the experienced personal injury lawyers at the Johnson Law Firm offer a free consultation to help you fight for the compensation you deserve.  Attorney Billy Johnson can determine responsibility and the extent of damages, establish your claim, and handle all legal requirements, court filings, investigations, and negotiations involved with recovering full financial compensation. We get results, such as the $24 million settlement awarded in a recent truck wreck case on first day of trial.

We offer a free consultation to discuss the circumstances of your case, and there are no costs to you unless and until we win your case.

GET HELP NOW 606-437-4488