An injury can happen at any time and place and can affect your life emotionally, financially, and physically. If you’re not at fault for an accident, you should contact a lawyer to get proper compensation. However, even if you’re at fault, you should also get representation as you'll likely be the subject of litigation. Here are things to understand when hiring an injury lawyer.

1. Understand Why Car Accidents Are the Most Common Injury Cases

From what our experts have experienced, car accidents are some of the most common injury cases. Car accidents occur daily around the world. Unfortunately, car accidents can result in devastating personal injury as well as fatality. If you’re the victim of a car accident, you may be dealing with the financial and physical repercussions of personal injury and a damaged car. Drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 are the most likely age group to get in a vehicle accident, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Therefore, if you were the parent of a younger driver, you may have to prepare to get legal assistance for them.

When it comes to car accident injuries, you may need the assistance of an injury lawyer because you're the driver, passenger, or pedestrian. If you were hit by another driver, you’re liable for compensation for your personal injury, as well as the damage to your car. However, if you’re an injured passenger in a car that had a negligent driver, you may also receive compensation from that person. Any pedestrian who is a victim of a car collision also has a right to compensation.

2. Understand That Injuries Can Happen in Many Situations

A car accident may be a common reason for hiring injury lawyers, but it's certainly not the only type of case they see. Injury lawyers get clients who have been the victims of unprovoked dog bites. As long as you didn't provoke the dog in question, you have the right to compensation for any physical or emotional trauma. Many personal injuries also happen at work, resulting from back strains, slips and falls, abrasions, and more. If you were injured at work, you likely have a worker's compensation claim your injury lawyer can assist you with. Having a lawyer represent you with your worker's compensation can help you get a faster compensation claim at a higher amount. Other injuries can occur due to faulty products from skin products to defective appliances.

3. Prepare Things on Your End

While personal injury lawyers can help you throughout many cases, it's also essential that you take the right steps before consulting with them. For example, if you get into a car accident, you should take photos at the scene if you’re alert. Make sure you quickly file a police report and go to your medical practitioner for a physical exam. Even if you feel fine after the accident, there may be hidden injuries that only a doctor can see.

Having a medical professional document these injuries can help your claim if these injuries cause problems later on. For example, whiplash is one of the most common injuries from a car accident, but it can take days or weeks to show up. A concussion is another common injury that may result from the impact of a car accident. A concussion happens when the brain moves around inside the skull. If you have an accident at work, quickly document what happened, the time, and what you were doing, and alert your immediate supervisor. You should also quickly seek medical assistance for a physical exam to note any injuries related to the work-related incident. Don't wait too long after a workplace accident to get an exam. Try to get an appointment immediately. The longer you wait to seek medical attention, the more it can hurt the outcome of your case.

4. Inquire About a Free Consultation

Don't let money prevent you from seeking injury assistance from a legal professional. Many personal injury attorneys provide free consultations to clients. During the free initial consultation, it's a chance for you and your lawyer to see if you have a viable case. Because the consultation doesn’t obligate you to the lawyer, you can get free consultations from different ones to see which lawyer is the right fit for you.

5. Focus on Lawyers With Experience

Experience matters whenever you hire anyone, but it's all the more important when it comes to an injury lawyer. It's best to find a lawyer and firm with several years, preferably decades, of experience working in the field. The more experience they have, the more they can navigate the system, be in tune with changing laws, and help predict the outcome of your particular case. Their experience can improve your chances of getting a fair or lucrative payout for your emotional, financial, and physical stress.

6. Find Out About Past Cases

The last thing you want is an injury lawyer who doesn't have a successful record. If they've lost the majority of their cases, the likelihood they can help you has decreased. While you may not expect every lawyer to win every case, having a general success record can give you peace of mind that you have a chance of also having a positive result. Don't be afraid to ask for references to contact past clients. If the personal injury law firm has had success, they shouldn't hesitate to give you contacts to other client winners who can vouch for their expertise.

7. Be Clear on Communication Style

Going through an injury case can be stressful for you. Therefore, you must have open and honest communication with your lawyer. Your injury lawyer may have a particular communication style that may or may not fit with you. Make it clear during the consultation what type of communication fits both of you. Maybe you prefer email checkups, a weekly meeting, virtual meetings, or home visits.

8. Ask About Payment Structure

While the initial consultation may be free, at some point you'll have to pay your lawyer something. Be clear on a payment structure and ask whether the lawyer charges hourly, per project, or is paid based on the result of the case. Some lawyers may have financing options for clients. Others may be paid based on a percentage of your competition outcome.

9. Know That Mediation Can Be Effective

One of the upsides of having an injury case is you have a greater chance of handling things through mediation as opposed to going to court. The majority of personal injury cases are settled during the mediation process. Mediation can often go faster, it involves less acrimony, and the results are more private compared to the result of a court trial.

As you can see, you should understand your rights in a personal injury case and how a lawyer can help you. If you can no longer work due to a permanent injury or emotional trauma, they can help you get the proper worker's compensation or personal injury payout you deserve. Our law firm has been in business since 2010, and our lawyers have decades of experience. When you need help in a personal injury case, contact Browning Law. We offer free initial consultations and can visit you in the hospital or at home.