Personal Injury & Accident Resources
If you have been injured in an accident, you likely face physical, mental, and emotional challenges. You are probably wondering when to hire a personal injury lawyer. If you suffered a sudden injury that changed your life, you most likely weren’t prepared for the consequences of someone else’s actions. You may face uncertainty related to returning to work, supporting your family, and dealing with your pain. This situation suggests you file a personal injury lawsuit in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
If you have never been in an accident before, you may not realize that you could be eligible to receive compensation for your accident. Our resource guide can help you determine your legal options surrounding a personal injury claim in Pennsylvania or New Jersey.
Do I Have a Personal Injury Claim?
A personal injury claim has three basic requirements:
- The person responsible for the accident demonstrated negligence. Negligence, which can be unintended, means a person didn’t uphold a standard of care to avoid causing injury to someone or damages to someone’s property.
- The responsible party’s negligence caused the injury. The link between another party’s negligence and your injuries needs to be clear, making this requirement important. For example, a driver runs a stop sign and crashes into another driver’s car, causing the second driver to sustain a concussion, the first driver’s negligence in ignoring the stop sign clearly led directly to the second driver’s concussion.
- The injury caused harm. If the injury from an accident causes the injured party to incur medical bills or miss work, those are two negative consequences caused by the injury. If the accident was the result of negligence, the negative consequences are compensatory damages.
Learn more about Spear Greenfield’s personal injury legal services:
Why Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?
If you have been in an accident, the negligent party will be exploring their legal options and the insurance company will try to dispute your personal injury claim in Philadelphia. In order to protect their best interests, the negligent party and the insurance company may involve attorneys. Even though you are the injury victim, partnering with a personal injury lawyer is important to ensure your best interests are being represented.
Some examples of personal injury might include involvement in a vehicle accident with a careless driver, a personal injury from work or a slip and fall on someone’s negligent property. Here are three questions to ask that might provide insight as to whether hiring an attorney is advisable.
1. How Serious Is the Injury?
Circumstances involving an injury can range from a superficial scrape or cut to an extended period in the hospital. Whenever an injury results in significant pain requiring medical attention, a victim should contact an attorney after the accident as quickly as possible, because those injuries can lead to extensive medical bills.
2. What Was the Cause of the Accident?
Personal injury law requires proof that another person causes the damages reflected in your claim. This proof can also involve outside factors for which a person is responsible, like a pet or negligent property. In some accidents, multiple parties can take responsibility for the damages.
3. Have You Spoken to the Insurance Company?
It’s vital to contact an attorney before discussing a settlement with the insurance company or liable party. Insurance companies can sometimes use their conversations with you to compromise your claim. Having an experienced lawyer coordinate and manage your claim often speeds up the process.
If you have already dealt with the insurance company without the assistance of an attorney, there still might be good reasons to consider a consultation. Some examples include:
- The insurance company denies a claim: If an insurance company denies your injury claim, it’s because they believe the accused party is not responsible for the incident. In this case, an attorney can help you dispute the denial. An attorney can also help you investigate the accident and gather pertinent evidence.
- The insurance company delays payment on your claim: If you have already settled with the insurance company and a significant amount of time passes without receiving your claim, a lawyer can help you speed up the process. Sometimes insurance companies will avoid issuing a payout for as long as the law permits.
- The insurance company issues a low settlement offer: Many insurance companies begin negotiating with a proposal that does not address the full extent of your injuries, minimizing the amount of compensation it needs to pay. A personal injury lawyer can help you determine a justifiable amount of compensation.
- The insurance company refuses to negotiate: In this case, you have a general idea of the amount of compensation you should receive, but the insurance company will not budge from their initial offer. A lawyer can help move the negotiations in the right direction or move the matter into the courts.
After deciding to hire a personal injury lawyer, it’s important to evaluate your options to ensure you’re choosing the correct legal partner. Some important qualities to consider are a lawyer’s experience, success rate, and client dedication. To learn more about involving a personal injury lawyer and selecting the best attorney for your personal injury case, please click on the link below.
Choosing the Best Personal Injury/Accident Law Firm
If you have been injured in an accident, you may consider filing a personal injury claim. But how can you find the best personal injury attorneys in Pennsylvania or New Jersey to take on your case? It’s important to make an informed decision about representation by considering every aspect of the firm you want to hire.
What to Look for in a Personal Injury Attorney
The most essential qualities in a reputable personal injury attorney are honesty and professionalism. You don’t want an attorney who just tells you what you want to hear. You want one who will offer honest guidance and insights, steering you toward the best legal decisions. No personal injury case is smooth sailing all the way, and you need an attorney who will conduct themselves in a caring, professional manner.
Be wary of attorneys who promise a particular outcome or claim they can win your case no matter what. Also steer clear of lawyers who offer a potential value for your case without hearing all the details.
Experience and Credentials
Experience is critical to personal injury cases. You want an attorney who has taken cases from the beginning through a jury verdict. Your lawyers should not be afraid to devote maximum resources to your case and bring it to trial in an attempt to secure the highest award for a client. Spear Greenfield Personal Injury Attorneys never settle prematurely. It’s also critical to have a portfolio of medical contacts that clients can use in their case.
Reputation and Reviews
The best personal injury lawyers have satisfied clients who will vouch for their integrity. Clients who have had a good experience with an attorney will offer good reviews, and their firm will develop a strong reputation based on positive outcomes and beneficial working relationships with clients.
Successful Cases
The best Pennsylvania and New Jersey personal injury law firms also have successful track records. Ask the attorneys about their past results. If they are reluctant to share, that’s a red flag.
Spear Greenfield has represented many personal injury cases successfully. We have won awards totaling more than half a billion dollars for our clients — a testament to our dedication and careful preparation for each case. In a substantial number of cases, we have earned awards of $300,000 or more.
Fees
Our firm believes you shouldn’t have to take on any risk when you pursue a personal injury case. That’s why we offer our no win, no fee guarantee. You don’t have to pay us unless we win the case. Even then, the bulk of our fees often come from the responsible party. You can focus on building the case and securing the optimal outcome instead of worrying about payment.
Why Choose Spear Greenfield?
If you are looking for the best personal injury lawyers near you, call Spear Greenfield. Our client-centered firm never turns anyone away without consideration. No case is too big or too small for our reputable and respected law firm. Get in touch to schedule a free consultation today.
Personal Injury Claim Legal Process
Once you have hired your attorney, the Spear Greenfield team will guide you through the legal process. This process starts with filing your complaint, which we ensure is done prior to the deadline. The next step is for our legal team to work on collecting evidence related to the personal injury accident. Following that crucial step, our focus turns to obtaining you the best outcome for your case, which may be in the form of either settlement or trial. Since the legal process can be detail oriented and even drawn out, the Spear Greenfield personal injury attorneys remain available to field concerns and questions throughout the process.