Car accidents are one of the most common ways that people are injured due to no fault of their own. A person can be sitting at an intersection waiting for a light to change when a distracted texting driver plows into the back of their car. Sometimes it’s not so easy to prove who was at fault in an accident. A car pulls out of a parking space at an interstate rest stop and is hit by an 18-wheel tractor trailer truck. The truck company claims that the car driver should have been more careful. The car driver claims the truck sped up at the wrong moment. It often takes a lawsuit, where both parties are represented by a Personal Injury lawyer to sort out fault and compensation.
Individual drivers may feel that they can’t afford the legal representation that they need to take on a large trucking corporation or insurance company. Lawyers who routinely represent clients in Personal Injury cases take them on a contingency basis. That means that the lawyer fees come from any financial settlement they win for the client. The lawyer spends the money up front for any needed expert witnesses, private investigators or court reporters for depositions. They then get an agreed upon percentage, if they win and their client is compensated for their injury. This fee structure ensures that people regardless of their income have their voices heard in court and that they receive vigorous representation.
Often injured people wait too long to get legal advice. Because they don’t have enough money, they don’t seek out the needed medical care to document their injuries immediately after the collision. This can make it harder to prove that their headaches and back pain are directly related to a specific event. Evidence can be lost or tampered the longer the period between the accident and the lawsuit filing. Once a person a lawyer, the lawyer makes sure that the proper medical treatment is obtained. If the injured person can’t perform their typical work duties, this is documented as well. The sooner a lawyer begins documenting the case, the stronger the case becomes
