What Does a Personal Injury Attorney Do and When Do You Need One?
When you suffer an injury or illness due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you may well want to sue the person responsible for causing it. You will therefore need an experience personal injury attorney to file suit for you and aggressively advocate for your right to receive just compensation for your injury or illness.
Personal Injury Attorney Qualifications
The more experience your attorney has in handling various types of personal injury cases, the better chance you stand of receiving the maximum amount of compensation. For instance, your personal injury attorney Columbia MD should have litigation experience in some or all of the following areas:
- Motor vehicle accidents (car, truck, bus, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.)
- Pedestrian accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Slips, trips, falls and other types of premises liability accidents
- Dog bites
- Medical malpractice
- Product liability accidents
- Serious injuries (spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputations, accidents resulting in visual or hearing impairment, etc.)
(S)he should also possess good negotiating skills. Why? Because most personal injury cases never go to court. Instead, a skilled personal injury attorney can obtain a favorable settlement for you from the defendant(s) and/or his, her or their insurance company.
Attorney’s Fees
Most personal injury attorneys charge what’s called a contingency fee. What this means is that you pay nothing unless or until your attorney satisfactorily resolves your case. Then (s)he will keep a percentage of the settlement or jury award amount for himself or herself before paying your outstanding medical bills and giving you the remainder.
Civil Suit
Keep in mind that your personal injury lawsuit is a type of civil suit, often referred to as a tort action. The defendant(s) will not go to jail when you win. Rather, (s)he or they will be required to pay you money damages. Not only will these include your actual medical expenses, but also such things as your pain and suffering, your current and future lost wages, etc.
