How Smith County Personal Injury Lawyers Can Maximize Your Claim

Did you know that injured victims who hire a personal injury lawyer usually get three times the amount of money for their damages than those who choose to do it alone? Simply put, if you’re injured in a car accident, motorcycle accident, or slip and fall, you stand to get a lot more for your claim by hiring an attorney. Considering the expenses that come along with personal injuries such as these, this is a good thing. Getting this money is necessary for paying bills, current and future medical costs, and staying afloat while you’re on your journey to recovery. 

This is perhaps the most important role an experienced personal injury lawyer plays in your personal injury claim. However, it’s not their only role. From start to finish, your injury attorney will do everything in their power to maximize your claim. Here’s what you need to know about the role of a personal injury attorney in your recovery. 

They Investigate Your Claim

For a personal injury lawyer to move forward with your claim, they must first be certain you have a claim. A thorough investigation will determine this. There’s a lot that goes into this stage of the personal injury claim.

First is collecting evidence. Depending on the details of your case, the types of evidence your personal injury attorney collects may vary. Commonly, though, this evidence includes:

• Witness statements
• Police reports
• Medical records
• Insurance policies
• Photographs or video evidence of the accident and/or accident site

Collecting this evidence can take time. For example, police reports taken after a car accident on North University Boulevard or US 69 can take up to a week to generate. Depending on how easy it is to get a hold of witnesses, their statements may take days or weeks to gather. All of this evidence helps your lawyer build a case. 

Seeing just how much time and effort goes into investigating a car crash, truck accident, or pedestrian accident highlights the important role a personal injury lawyer plays in a claim! 

Negotiating a Settlement

Once your accident attorney collects this evidence and successfully builds a case, they will then try to negotiate a settlement amount to recover compensation. 

Negotiating a settlement is an in-demand skill set, so your lawyer will utilize different strategies to get you the money you’re owed. There are several ways to do this, depending on the party they’re dealing with. For example, threatening to pursue a lawsuit against an insurance company can get them to negotiate a settlement. Remember, insurance companies focus on their bottom line. Since lawsuits will cost them a lot of money, they’ll want to avoid this – and your lawyer knows it! 

Of course, sometimes aggressive action like that isn’t necessary. Instead, your lawyer may simply present the facts of the case. Most personal injury cases settle, as they will cover both economic and non-economic damages such as medical bills, property damage, emotional distress, and pain and suffering. In Texas, there is a cap for how much money injured victims can collect for their pain and suffering, ranging between $250,0000 – $750,000, depending on whether several defendants were involved. 

Prepare for Trial 

Last but not least, if negotiations don’t work and your case has to go to trial before a judge and jury, your lawyer will take the time to prepare. 

A lot goes into preparing for trial. First, your trial lawyer will gather up all the evidence they collected and share it with the other party’s attorneys. Likewise, their attorneys will share the information they have with your lawyer. This exchange, also known as discovery, is necessary to prepare an argument. Between this, drafting opening statements, determining which questions to ask witnesses, and researching legal proceedings that apply to this case, your Texas accident lawyer will be very busy! 

It depends on the facts of the case, but you can expect your personal injury case (if it does go to trial) to take a few months to conclude. Though most injury claims settle before they ever reach the courtroom, hiring a lawyer who isn’t afraid to take your claim as far as it can go means you’re getting the best fight for the compensation you deserve. 

Were You Injured in an Accident While Driving in Tyler, Texas? Hire a Skilled Personal Injury Lawyer from the Vickery Law Firm!

The Vickery Law Firm has been a mainstay of the greater Tyler, Texas, area for decades. With years of experience handling complex accident claims and negotiating fair settlements, the Vickery Law Firm is who injured Texas residents turn to when in search of a personal injury lawyer. 

If you are ready to pursue the compensation you deserve, contact our personal injury attorneys. We can be reached at 903-504-5490 or via this secure contact form.