Personal Injury Lawyer: What Does a PI Attorney Do?
A personal injury lawyer provides legal representation to individuals who have been met with an accident. Personal injury attorneys specialize in the law which deals with all legal responsibilities that result from an act of negligence. When you are met with an accident, you will spend most of your time healing in a hospital. However, this is also a time that you will have to deal with the insurance companies, hospital bills, police etc. A personal injury attorney deals with motor vehicle accidents, defective products, workplace injuries, medical malpractice etc., and helps you get financial compensation if you are met with any of these accidents. Personal injury attorneys can get you monetary compensation for all aspects of accidents, including medical bills, loss of income resulting from the accident, loss of earning capability, trauma, and loss of life if you have lost someone in the accident. The responsibilities of personal injury lawyers vary according to the kind of case they take up. However, they typically investigate the financial claims, gather evidence for those claims, negotiate with the insurance companies and represent the clients at trials. Here are some of the things personal attorneys can do for you:
Investigating the Accident:
Personal Injury attorneys conduct an extensive case study of the accident to determine how you were injured. During this investigation, the attorney collects evidence to prove that the other party involved caused you damage. Personal Injury attorneys are only able to help you avail financial compensation if the other party caused the accident. To prove and collect evidence for this, personal attorneys interview witnesses, investigate CCTV footage, compile accident reports etc.
Negotiating with the Insurance Companies:
Personal injury attorneys deal with insurance companies who are liable to pay for your financial claim while you take time for healing. They review your health insurance policies and determine the coverage you can claim. Personal injury attorneys file insurance claims and further take care of all communications with the insurance companies. If the insurance company refuses your claims, they also file lawsuits against the company to hold it liable.
Calculating Damages:
When you have completed your medical treatment, the personal attorneys also calculate the damages you have incurred, in terms of financial damage, physical and mental damage, permanent impairments etc. All economic damages are carefully documented, while the non-economic damages don’t have a set standard for calculation. The goal is to recover total financial compensation for each damage category. Personal injury attorneys are skilled professionals who are excellent at negotiation and can get you the maximum benefits from your insurance company. When settlement negotiations fail with an insurance company, the personal injury attorney prepares a lawsuit. Your personal injury attorney represents you during the course of the lawsuit.