Major Expectations In a Personal Injury Case and How to Handle Them

Just like any other type of legal case, personal injury cases follow a standardized process and procedure, ensuring consistency and fairness throughout the legal system.  Whether it is a car accident or a building fire, it is important to know how your case will be handled. While there are generally numerous steps, we have decided to discuss seven of these steps in this article.

The Steps in Handling a Personal Injury

Every personal injury case in Florida is unique in its own way due to different circumstances and people involved; however, they generally follow the same pattern. Here are the major steps in the process:

• The Accident or Injury

Depending on how severe the injury is, it is possible you will not be taken to the hospital by an ambulance immediately. However, if you do not need medical attention immediately, you can begin documentation right at the scene. This is a chance to take pictures, speak with witnesses, and get other things done where needed.

• Medical Attention

“Obtaining medical records that prove you immediately sought medical attention is essential to a successful personal injury case,” says Attorney Jimmy Fasig of Fasig | Brooks Law Offices. In other words, you have to see a doctor even if it looks like you are not injured. This helps your injury claim and your health.

• Your Initial Consultation With an Attorney

Hiring a lawyer is one of the recommended decisions you can make as regards your personal injury case. You might think that the first offer the insurance company offers is very good. However, your lawyer will let you know if it is better or worse than what you might get in a trial. Your lawyer will also tell you that your case is valid and can go to court.

• Investigating the Case

Hiring a lawyer also means you have hired a part-time investigator who can help you get information the right way. You have the details of who was at fault and how the accident came to be. What is left will be uncovered by your lawyer, and they can get more evidence to throw the case in your favor.

Evidence of this sort can include anything from CCTV footage or forensic evidence to maintenance records. These pieces of evidence win personal injury cases.

• Filing an Insurance Claim

The next thing to do is to file a claim with the insurer on official terms if you have not already. A legal letter that demands a settlement will be sent to the other party. The expected compensation in figures will be attached. This helps the other party get a feel for your thoughts and expectations and gets the ball rolling. You also get to define your expectations as evidence.

• Settlement Negotiation

Most personal injury cases end up as negotiations. Attorneys on both ends draw up all the evidence collected and use this to lay claim to a specific figure. Usually, the client is already aware of this figure. This action will probably cause the insurer, who has probably already submitted an initial offer, to present a more agreeable and reasonable settlement offer. In many cases, they come very close to the amount specified by your attorney.

• Trial

It is less common for personal injury cases to proceed to trial. It is always difficult to ascertain whether you should go to trial or accept the settlement presented to you. It depends on the nature of the case and how strong your case is, among many other factors.

Conclusion

Not every personal injury case in Florida will follow these exact steps, as the circumstances of each case can introduce some other steps. However, these are the necessary steps in every personal injury case. Some steps can be decisive as they will cancel out some others. By accepting a settlement, you are agreeing to forgo the possibility of a trial and all the associated steps and procedures involved in a trial.

In all you do, try getting a personal injury lawyer in Florida who understands your case and can guide you through every step of the way till you get a compensation offer.