After experiencing a terrible accident or fall, the last thing you want to be worrying about is the logistics of what “filing a personal injury claim” actually means. When filing such a claim, there are many grey areas that can often get confusing and overwhelming. In such a stressful moment in your life, it’s so important to have your facts straight before proceeding with any legal action.
The first fact that I want to make perfectly clear is that with any claim, you are not suing anyone. You are simply making a claim against an insurance company for pain, suffering, and medical bills incurred. In fact, 8-10 cases are simply settled prior to even filing a lawsuit. And even beyond that, very few cases (less than 10%) make it to court. If you are hesitant in filing a claim, just know that more often times than not it does not end up in serious legal action.
The second important fact is that if you have a personal injury attorney and are not happy with his or her services, you can change lawyers at any time during the filing process without penalty. You will pay the same 1/3 contingent fee to the final attorney you end up selecting. However, when your case is finally resolved, any fee due to your prior lawyer will then come from your current attorney’s 1/3 fee.
The third fact that affects every case I deal with is that there is no set formula as to how much a case is worth. Every case is completely different! The amount of your settlement is based on several factors including liability, your injuries, whether you have any permanent injuries, the amount of medical bills, the amount of time you treated, out of pocket expenses, lost wages, your age, and many many other factors.
The next blog post will go into additional important facts to note before deciding to proceed with a personal injury claim. If you have any specific questions about the personal injury case you are currently dealing with, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at (617) 773-8890.
