Browning Law FAQs

Personal injury attorneys Idaho Falls, ID residents trust recommend that you take the following steps after a personal injury accident:

- Call 911 and have the police respond immediately

- Take photos of the vehicles and accident scene

- Take photos of your injuries

- Visit a doctor if you haven’t already

- If you have visited a doctor, follow their care plan and attend all follow-up appointments

- Write down a narrative of what happened while it’s still fresh in your head

- Make a list of witnesses and their contact information if you know it

- Hire an attorney before the liable party’s insurance company tries to buy your case cheaply

- Follow any additional instructions from your attorney

Yes, you can file a civil lawsuit without an attorney. However, if you bring your case on your own, you’re subject to the same standards as you would be if you had an attorney. You must follow the formalities for your case filing documents. The rules of discovery, admission of evidence, and civil procedure all apply to you.

If you make a mistake, it may unravel your case even if you have a great case. It has been said that the person who acts as his own attorney has a fool for a client. That's why we recommend hiring a personal injury lawyer Idaho Falls, ID drivers can count on.

In Idaho, as in most states, there are lawyers who have trial experience and lawyers that do not. There are many lawyers who are literally afraid to go to trial with their clients’ cases because they don’t know what they are doing in front of a jury, or they are afraid to take the financial risk of losing, or they get the lawyer’s version of “stage fright” when they have to present a real live case in front of 12 jurors. Most lawyers in Idaho have not tried 10 cases in front of juries in their entire lives.

Some law firms equate trying cases with losing money. If a lawyer is going to help their client obtain a fair settlement, the insurance adjuster with whom they are dealing needs to know they are dealing with a lawyer that knows how to try a case to a jury. Adjusters know which lawyers try cases to juries and which lawyers do not, and they tailor their settlement offers accordingly. Our recommendation is to always hire a car accident lawyer in Idaho Falls, ID that has plenty of experience and who has won trials in the past.

When you hire Browning Law, a top injury lawyer in Idaho Falls, ID, expect to pay a contingency fee that equates with one-third of what is recovered. For example, if we recover one million dollars, the fee is $333,333,33.

A statute of limitations is the time limitation that you have to file a complaint. For most personal injury cases, the statute of limitation is two years. You’ve made it within the time limit if you get your case filed even one day before the period of limitation expires. If you have a case against a government entity, such as a police department or a school or fire department, you may have to file a tort claim within 180 days of the date you were injured. A reliable injury attorney in Idaho Falls, ID can help you with this process.

In any personal injury case, the two basic categories of compensable damages are “economic” and “general” damages. Economic damages can be readily computed, including past and future medical bills, lost wages, lost income earning capacity, and property damage to a vehicle. General damages are popularly called “pain and suffering.” The amount for which you will be compensated depends upon the severity of an injury and how long the effects of the injury will last. A dependable personal injury lawyer in Idaho Falls, ID can help you determine your damages following an incident.

Each case varies. Estimating the value of a case in the early stages of handling a case can lead to unrealistic expectations. As top personal injury attorneys in Idaho Falls, ID, we believe it is important for a client to get medical treatment and try to be fully healed before attempting to settle a case.

Once medical treatment has ceased, and the client has reached what is termed maximum medical improvement, it is time to begin negotiating a fair settlement for what the client has lost. The client is kept fully informed of settlement negotiations, and a case will not be settled unless the client approves it.

You can maximize your injury settlement by carefully building strong evidence in your case. You can do this by getting your injuries treated promptly. Follow your doctor’s advice for treatment, and cooperate with your injury attorney in Idaho Falls, ID when it comes to obtaining information and documentation they may need.

Idaho is a comparative negligence state. Because Idaho is a comparative negligence state, you may still win some compensation even if you’re partially to blame for the accident. The amount that you recover is reduced by the percent that you’re at fault. If a jury awards you $100,000 but finds you 20% at fault, the judge will reduce your award to $80,000. Learn more about comparative negligence by speaking with your car accident lawyer in Idaho Falls, ID directly.

The vast majority of personal injury cases don’t go to trial. Most are resolved by a settlement before the trial date arrives. A case is most likely to go to trial when the facts are in dispute or when there’s a contested legal issue, and the court may rule either way.

The more carefully you build your case, the more likely it is that you and the other party can agree on the strength of your evidence and reach an appropriate settlement. This stated, there are still insurance companies that will refuse a reasonable settlement despite the facts. In these cases, it is absolutely crucial that you have an experienced personal injury lawyer in Idaho Falls, ID fighting for you.