Not all personal injury claims require the assistance of a lawyer. Some are unwinnable, while others are trivial.
It is important, however, that you understand when you need a personal injury lawyer, when you don’t, and how a Colorado personal injury lawyer can help you obtain the justice you deserve.
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help You
An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you in the following ways, among others:
- Provide an objective evaluation of your claimーsomething you might need while you are struggling with overwhelming emotions;
- Advise you on how to maximize the value of your claimーby staying off social media, for example;
- Conduct an investigation of your claim;
- Gather admissible evidence for use both in court and at the negotiating table;
- Find expert witnesses to bolster your claim;
- Negotiate your claim with the insurance company or the defendant;
- Find legal holes in the defendant’s evidence and arguments;
- Advise you on possible alternative courses of action; and
- Draft a formal complaint and file a lawsuit on your behalf (useful even if you never go to court).
Above all, your attorney can take care of legal and financial matters for you, so you can concentrate on regaining your health.
Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer? Seven Signs That Say You Do
There is no formula that can tell you for sure whether you need legal assistance. Under the following circumstances, however, you are likely to need a personal injury lawyer.
1. Your Injuries Are Long-Term or Permanent
Some injuries leave you with permanent disfigurement. Others, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), can leave you with long-term disability.
Still, other injuries might leave you with the need for long-term medical care or rehabilitation.
In such cases, especially, the latter case, you may need an experienced personal injury attorney to help you estimate future medical expenses. You are also likely to need an attorney for a wrongful death claim.
2. The Insurance Company Rejects Your Claim or Offers a Paltry Settlement
Most insurance companies would reject almost any claim if they thought they could get away with it.
One of the ways you know that the insurance company doesn’t respect you is when they either dismiss your claim or offer you a settlement that is so low you can’t decide whether to laugh or cry.
3. The Insurance Company Is Dealing with You in Bad Faith
Bad faith means, essentially, dishonestly. Although the law prohibits insurance companies from dealing with you in bad faith, it happens all the time.
Some bad faith insurance company tactics include:
- Stalling you with numerous small delays;
- Providing you with misleading information;
- Requiring you to provide excess documentation;
- Aggressively pursuing an unfairly low settlement offer; and
- Dismissing your claim without discussion or with blithe and simplistic answers.
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Trust your gut instincts if you think the insurance company is treating you unfairly.
4. The Insurance Company or the Defendant Is Trying to Blame Your for the Accident
Because of Colorado’s comparative fault system, many insurance companies seek ways to blame the victim for the accident, so that they can escape liability themselves.
Insurance company representative: “Please tell me the EXACT time of the accident.” (for the 50th time).
You (exasperated): “OK, OK, the accident happened at EXACTLY 2:42 pm.”
Insurance company: So you caused the accident yourself, by checking the time when you should have been watching the road.”
5. Liability Is in Dispute
The defendant will always come up with some argument that they are somehow not responsible for your damages.
You are going to need a personal injury lawyer, however, when the facts put liability in real dispute and you are not sure whether it is you or the other party who is the real defendant.
6. You Are Not Sure How Much Your Claim Is Worth
You might not realize how much of the typically successful personal injury claim consists of intangible, non-economic damages such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of consortium.
You could drastically underestimate the value of your claim if you ignore these components of your damages.
7. Your Claim Is Complex
Some personal injury claims are simple, while others are complex. Your claim might involve multiple parties, for example.
Likewise, your claim might be scientifically complex. Product liability claims, for example, are often quite scientifically complex, and proving your claim might require the use of an expert witness.
We’re Ready for Action
Here at Tenge Law, we put our money where our mouth is. Indeed, we have recovered more than $50 million for our clients over the last seven years alone.
Although it would be unethical of us to guarantee results in any particular case, we can guarantee you this much—retain us and your case will be in good hands.
Call The Tenge Law Firm, LLC, 24/7 at (303) 219-7377 or online to get started pursuing your claim today.
