Personal Injury Lawyer -

Do We Need Them?

 by:

Mumtaz Shah

Following an accident you'll hear a person say that they don't need to

see a personal injury lawyer, TOO expensive! In this article we will set

out for you some reasons why NOT seeking, at minimum, a consultation with

an accident lawyer could end up costing you a lot of money!

More often than not, regardless of whether you caused the accident or

are its victim, if you do not seek a consultation with an accident lawyer

as soon as possible after the accident you may well end up regretting your

decision. The overriding reasons for saying this are two-fold:

. the insurance company you will be making your claim against are

trying to minimise their losses; and

. you most probably don't know what you're entitled to.

As A Victim Of An Accident

Let's assume you are the victim of an unfortunate accident. Let's

further assume that your insurance company has come through and has agreed

to pay all your medical bills. Now, you may well be feeling that your

insurance company are the good guys and you don't need a lawyer's advice.

Wrong!

What's happened is nothing less than what the insurance company is

obligated to do under the terms and conditions of your accident policy.

Moreover, the insurance company is hoping to play on the fact that you

feel somewhat indebted to their generosity.

Profitability

That way, they hope, you'll not bring about a bigger claim for what you

are rightly entitled to. In the long run that means that they don't have

quiet as big an insurance claim loss and they can still make a profit from

your policy.

In short, they are protecting their financial wellbeing at the cost of

your entitlement rights. But, unless you have spoken to a personal injury

lawyer you'll not know this and you'll feel that everything is fine.

So, the next time you are in an car accident or accident, ask yourself

this question: 'Is my insurance company interested in protecting me and my

rights, or are they more concerned with paying a dividend to their

shareholders?'

Non-Profitability

On the other hand, a professional compensation lawyer is normally an

ethical impartial third party who knows what your rights are. Aside from

possibly being paid a fee, not from or by you, he's also likely to have

another job to help a victim better than its' insurance company, (and,

keep in mind, if any court proceedings occur, these fees are reclaimed

from the opponent side).

So, why shouldn't they tell you the truth about what accident

compensation you are entitled to? What's more, even if he does have a

financial interest in your case, surely the better compensated you are,

the better compensated he is?

As such, if anything, he has even more interest in making sure that you

know exactly what your rights are and of making sure that you claim for

those rights according to what you are entitled to.

Looked at it like this, it not too difficult to see who the interested

party is and who the independent party is. Now ask yourself: 'Do you want

to take advice from someone who is interested in minimising your claim, or

someone who is interested in maximising it?'

Cause Of An Accident

Now let's look at it from the point of view of, you being the person at

fault in the accident. You may well feel that you have nothing to fear, as

your insurance company will pay for the damage done. You may even find

that initially your insurance company agrees with this. But why...?

Unless you see an accident lawyer as soon as possible after the

accident you'll never know. Why? Are you 100% sure that it was your

fault...?

Being Polite

The insurance company has to be polite, you're their customer! However,

once the claim is over and you're thrilled with their service, you're

definitely going to renew your policy. But the extra couple of hundred

they ask for will justify the accident? 'Sir/ma'am, you had an accident

and your premium has increased!'

Knowing exactly what your rights or obligations are after an accident

can be extremely tricky. In most cases it will depend on what happened to

cause the accident in the first place.

As such, seeking the advice of a compensation lawyer as soon as you can

following an personal injury is the only independent way you can really

determine and know exactly what you are entitled to or what you may be

liable for arising from the accident.