Why Do You Need A Personal Injury Attorney?
Money is the only way for you to be compensated for your injuries or death of your loved one. No amount of money can replace your loved one that has passed away or compensate for a permanent injury or the pain and stress this incident has caused. Our legal team at Keeton Law Firm, PLLC is sensitive to this fact. But fair compensation can relieve you of financial burden, helping you cope, grieve or focus on making a healthy recovery.
What Is Personal Injury Law?
In cases involving personal injury, the goal for the injured client is twofold. Both goals work in unison with each other.
The first goal is for the injured client to get medical treatment and to get better and reach maximum medical treatment. Maximum medical treatment is usually when the injured person is released from medical treatment and is in as good a condition as modern medicine can make them.
The second goal is to obtain money to reasonably compensate the injured person or the family of a deceased person killed by the negligence or recklessness of another individual and/or company. The injuries sustained and the amount of reasonable medical treatment received are items used to determine the monetary value of a case along with pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
In cases involving the wrongful death of a person, an expert economist is usually retained in order to determine the full economic loss.
In many cases, experts must be retained in order to develop the proof in a case. This could be an accident reconstructionist or a medical doctor or other various experts that may be relevant to the case.
Tennessee follows “modified comparative fault.” This means that an injured person can only recover money if his or her fault in causing the accident is less than 50 percent. So, if the actions of the injured person are less than perfect in the accident, a money recovery may still be possible.
Never Trust The Insurance Companies
Delay, deny, and defend. These are the “three D’s” that some insurance companies may employ when handling a claim with an injured person that does not have an attorney. The insurance company may delay calling you or returning your call or switching insurance adjusters several times on your claim. The insurance company may then deny your claim if you do not accept a nominal offer and then defend the case with experienced insurance defense attorneys.
An injured person would be wise in having a lawyer at every step of the case, beginning a day or so after accident happens and continuing to the conclusion of the case.
The insurance company may try to get you to settle your claim shortly after the accident for a nominal amount compared to the reasonable and actual value of your personal injury claim. But ask yourself – how can I settle my case before I have finished my medical treatment, which may take many months or even years, depending on the severity of the personal injuries?
Common sense should tell you that the insurance company does not have your best interests in mind in making such an offer. DO NOT SIGN A RELEASE without first talking to a lawyer.
Contact our legal team at Keeton Law Firm, PLLC, immediately before you talk to the insurance company about your personal injury claim.
Why Do You Need An Attorney?
Research conducted by the Insurance Research Council has shown that on average an injured person that has hired a lawyer will receive a monetary recovery from the insurance company that is approximately 3.5 times higher the amount than that person would have received without a lawyer handling their case. Research by the Insurance Research Council has also shown that 85 percent of money paid out to injured persons by insurance companies come to those persons represented by an attorney.
What does this all mean? More money on average to you if you have hired a lawyer on your personal injury case. The statistics do not lie. Consultations are free; call us at 931-400-2548 or reach out to us online today to get started.
