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How to Know When to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney


— April 24, 2020

The important thing to remember when dealing with personal injury claims is that there are cut-off periods involved, called statutes of limitations. Don’t wait too long to consult a personal injury attorney or you may lose your right to file a claim.


Being involved in an accident is traumatic enough as it is – more so when you believe it to have been someone’s fault and there are legal repercussions involved. One of the questions that might be running through your head is whether or not to hire a personal injury attorney.

A personal injury attorney is someone who can provide you with legal representation and rally for the proper compensation for any physical and psychological damages you may have suffered. To know if you truly need to hire one of the trusted injury lawyers in Portland, keep on reading below.

You have incurred any form of permanent disability.

Close up photo of person’s feet as they sit in a wheelchair; image by Stevepb, via Pixabay.com.
Close up photo of person’s feet as they sit in a wheelchair; image by Stevepb, via Pixabay.com.

Suffering from severe injuries can be expensive – your medical bills are likely to pile up. While that is already reason enough for you to hire a personal injury lawyer, you also need to anticipate the cost of long-term care if you have incurred any disabilities. A personal injury attorney will help you secure the maximum compensation for your case so that you will have at least one less thing to worry about after the accident.

No one will claim liability for what happened.

If you believe that the other party had exhibited negligence and they won’t admit to this, the litigation process may take longer to resolve. Not to mention, your insurance company will have more reasons to withhold the just compensation that is due to you. A personal injury lawyer can help you resolve the issue much faster and thus secure your compensation much quicker, too.

You’re dealing with more than one adverse party.

It’s difficult enough as it is to settle a dispute between two adverse parties, but it can be even more difficult when you have to deal with multiple parties. For sure, there will be several insurance firms involved, and you can easily get lost in a tangle of red tapes and insurance company jargon. To help you rise above this chaos, you will need a personal injury attorney on your corner. He or she will be able to liaise between parties and be your voice during, especially stress-provoking, meetings.

Your insurance adjuster is not offering you the right compensation.

When there are insurance adjusters involved, you will likely be offered a nominal sum as compensation to your injuries. The important thing to remember here is that you should not succumb to the financial pressure that that may impose on you. To help you deal with the matter more efficiently, you will need a personal injury lawyer to help you secure a medical evaluation and weigh the possible lasting effects of the accident. This way, you can take home a more suitable and just compensation from your insurance company.

Your insurance company has just dismissed your claim.

If, for example, you have decided to apply for your compensation while unrepresented by a lawyer and your insurance company has outright denied your claim, now is the right time to ask for assistance. You see, the problem with insurance companies is that they often turn down low-impact cases. This, in turn, might snowball into more serious litigation that would require you to seek legal advice. Your personal injury attorney will be someone who will find ways for you to get the right amount for your settlement even if the damage may be considered as a low-impact one.

You worry about statutes of limitations.

The important thing to remember when dealing with personal injury claims is that there are cut-off periods involved, called statutes of limitations. You need to be able to file for your claim right away to secure your rights. With a personal injury lawyer, you can easily breeze through the filing process even while you are still recovering in your hospital bed.

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