Personal injury law is a section of civil law. It enables personal injury victims to raise legal claims if they get hurt due to the inappropriate actions of a third party. The basis of injury litigation is to compel the party responsible for causing an accident to take charge of the damages they cause.
What is personal injury protection coverage meaning in the US? The two core forms of cases in the US are criminal and civil cases. A case is referred to as criminal when government agencies charge the accused person with a criminal offense.
On the other hand, civil cases involve two parties, which can be businesses or individuals. Personal injury cases fall under the civil category. Suppose you suffer harm due to a third party’s mistakes and are convinced they should take responsibility.
You can consult different car accident attorneys for guidance on how to handle the matter. Often, the attorneys for both parties will negotiate a personal compensation settlement and put it in writing.
Once you are happy with the financial compensation that your attorney negotiated for you, you can sign the agreement document. Ensure your attorney is reliable to get fair treatment.
Personal injury law, however often it’s referred to on TV, is actually quite misunderstood by the majority of the American public. So if you’re actually considering taking legal action and haven’t gone through the process before, you’ll want to get a more accurate understanding of how personal injury lawsuits actually work. Here are five facts you probably didn’t know about personal injury law:
- Ambulance Chasing Is a ViolationThe stereotype of personal injury attorneys is that they’re sleazy ambulance chasers. But you should know that the American Bar Association actually prohibits seeking out victims at car accident scenes and the like, and lawyers from top law firms will always let you come to them.
- It’s Rare for Cases to Go to CourtDespite what TV might suggest, it’s actually extremely rare for personal injury cases to go to trial. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 97% of personal injury cases are settled outside of court. That can happen through a third-party insurance claim, or through alternate dispute resolution routes such as mediation and arbitration. Insurance companies are often eager to settle before a lawsuit, and that means with the aid of a good lawyer, you can often get a very fair settlement while avoiding the expense of an extended legal battle.
- Negotiations Don’t Always Drag OnLegal action should never be taken lightly, and it’s possible for personal injury cases to go on for months or even years. But it’s equally likely that personal injury action can be settled in a matter of days or weeks. You should consult with an attorney to get an estimated timeline of your case before you commit.
- Minor Injuries Should Be AddressedPeople often avoid personal injury lawsuits for minor injuries because they don’t want to go through the hassle. But often, these types of injuries would be fully covered by insurance companies with the application of a little legal pressure. That’s why you should never simply ignore injuries of any kind.
- Top Law Firms Have a Broader ScopeAlthough it’s solid advice to work with a lawyer or law firm that has quite a bit of experience handling the kind of case you’re facing, the point sometimes gets overstated in a way that indicates that all top law firms choose only one area of the law to focus on. In reality, a good law firm will probably have quite a few attorneys, all with slightly different specialties. A law firm with mainly personal injury lawyers might also address concerns such as family law, employment law, real estate and wrongful death cases, for example.
What other common misconceptions can cause confusion for people dealing with personal injury lawsuits for the first time? Share your advice in the comments.