Your Role in a Personal Injury Lawsuit

Your Role in a Personal Injury Lawsuit

Filing a personal injury claim or lawsuit can be a stressful process. Many people aren’t sure where to start or what they should actually do. It can become overwhelming to have to deal with injuries, medical bills, and property damage while simultaneously getting involved in a personal injury claim.

Because of how complex the process can be, it’s crucial to get a personal injury lawyer to help you as quickly as you can. They can guide you through the claim and take the weight of the legalities involved off your shoulders.

Let’s look at your role in a personal injury lawsuit and what you can do to help yourself through this tough time.

Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer

The moment you are physically capable of doing so, you need to get in contact with a personal injury lawyer. This is paramount. The trick, of course, is ensuring you have the right one.

Look for experience, first and foremost. This doesn’t mean experience practicing law in general; look for someone with experience practicing personal injury law in New Jersey. Look at what types of cases they take on and what they’re successful with.

If you have a car accident claim, a lawyer who’s handled motorcycle accidents will still be a good choice, but what about if you have a product liability claim to file? You need to make sure they have experience with those types of claims and product liability in New Jersey.

Look for whether they’ve been able to get good settlements for their clients. Many times, less reputable lawyers settle quickly, accepting low offers from insurance companies and depriving their clients of the compensation they deserve and could have received with a bit more effort on their lawyers’ part.

Reading reviews and testimonials is also helpful. They can provide a good sense of the lawyer’s personality, the way they work, and much more.

Seeing a complaint isn’t always a deal-breaker, but if you notice that numerous clients are claiming the same issues with the lawyer, choose another one. You don’t want to run into problems in the middle of the claims process.

Make sure you know what the payment structure will be like. Reputable personal injury lawyers will work on a contingency fee basis, so they don’t get paid if you don’t. You don’t need the added worry about paying for legal fees while you’re dealing with so many other issues stemming from the accident.

It’s also a good idea to meet with them and see if your personalities match and whether you feel comfortable speaking with them. After going through a traumatic experience, you want to feel at ease with the lawyer you hire. They should be personable and able to explain legal terms in ways you can understand.

The process can be a lengthy one, so you always need to make sure you get along with your attorney and feel your opinions are respected and considered.

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Providing Personal Injury Lawyer With All Related Information

When you hire your personal injury lawyer, you need to get the pertinent information to them as quickly as possible. They will likely give you an idea of the kind of documents that can make a difference in the type of claim you have.

Your personal injury lawyer will examine all the paperwork and reach out to the witnesses you may have pointed out. No matter how small you think a piece of evidence is, let your lawyer know. They’ll be able to tell you if it can help or not.

Medical records are particularly important in a personal injury lawsuit because they provide an objective view of the injuries you suffered and the severity of the accident. These records show the treatments you received and when or if you’re expected to recover.

Police reports are another item you need to provide if you were in an accident in which the police were involved.

You won’t have to gather all of the evidence yourself, either. Your lawyer will take care of most of it, including getting witness statements. Many times, witnesses won’t return calls or offer information if a regular person reaches out to them, but they do so willingly if an attorney contacts them.

Not Accepting an Offer From Insurance

Insurance companies aren’t there to help you. That’s a misunderstanding many people have based on peppy commercials when, in reality, they want to prevent you from getting the compensation you deserve.

To make sure they profit as much as possible, insurers will try a variety of tactics to get you to renounce your claim, and they won’t shy away from bullying you. It’s crucial that you don’t accept an offer from them. For the most part, it’s better to leave communications with the insurance company to your lawyer.

Your personal injury lawyer will know your rights and won’t be intimidated by their strategies, which means you’ll have a better chance of getting fair compensation. 

Continuing Treatment of Injuries

You need to stick to the treatment plan your doctors have laid out for you. This is another crucial action you can take for yourself and the claim. Receiving care will allow you to continue gathering medical records and evidence of the injuries, all of which help your claim.

Injuries that require substantial treatment tend to earn more in compensation from insurers, so having evidence that you’ve undergone extensive care can help you.

Being Prepared To Give a Deposition

Once the claim has advanced a bit, you’ll be asked to give a deposition. This is a questions-and-answers session. The other party’s lawyer will ask you questions under oath about the accident, the injuries you sustained, and how they impacted your life.

Your lawyer will help you prepare for a deposition and will be there with you. It can be a stressful step in the process, but it’s a vital one.

Attending Mediations

For cases that run the risk of going to trial, mediation can sometimes help. This is when both sides agree to hire a neutral third party to help them come to a resolution. Many times, this is the decisive step in the process, and it helps push parties to find common ground.

Your lawyer will talk you through what to expect in mediation so that you can help your claim to the best of your ability.

Your Lawyer’s Role in a Personal Injury Claim

Your lawyer has a variety of roles to play throughout the claims process. An important one is gathering evidence. They will pore over the documents you provide to find the right pieces of information that solidly prove your claim. At the same time, they will seek out witness testimonies.

Personal injury lawyers have contacts with expert witnesses who can offer crucial evidence in the form of accident reconstruction, medical expertise, and so much more.

Your lawyer will negotiate on your behalf with the other parties. They’re skilled negotiators who will leverage evidence to help achieve a settlement.

If there’s no headway made in the negotiation process, your lawyer can then file a lawsuit and litigate your case in court.

They assume the role of staunch advocates for their clients in a court of law, introducing evidence, performing cross-examination of witnesses, and articulating your position before a jury and judge.

Perhaps most importantly, personal injury lawyers offer guidance and support throughout the entire process. Going through an accident and then filing a claim can be brutal on the psyche, so your lawyer will do their best to make the process more manageable for you.

How Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq Can Help

If you’ve been in an accident and suffered injuries, the best action you can take is reaching out to experienced personal injury lawyers like Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq. Our team has been offering help for over 30 years, providing dependable and tenacious representation in New Jersey.

We’re dedicated to offering compassionate help. We understand just how tough it can be to ask for assistance after a traumatic experience, and we will do everything we can to put you at ease. At GGL, we treat every client and potential client with the utmost respect and sensitivity.

Our team has experience with a variety of claims, including vehicular accidents, medical malpractice, product liability, premises liability, and so much more. If you’re not sure whether we can help you with your case, all you have to do is schedule a consultation to get an assessment. Best of all, it’s free.

You shouldn’t have to struggle on your own with injuries someone else is responsible for. Instead, turn to dedicated lawyers like Garces, Grabler & LeBrocq. Contact us online today or give us a call at 1-800-923-3456 to schedule a free consultation.

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Recent GGL Wins

Medical Malpractice

A 30-year-old pregnant woman went into labor. The doctor failed to take proper steps in the baby’s delivery, making the mother wait in the hallway for ten hours while the baby’s heart rate began to drop. The baby was delivered via C-Section; he was blue from lack of oxygen resulting in Cerebral Palsy.

$14 Million

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Construction Accident

Mediation award resulting from an industrial explosion causing disfiguring burns and severe orthopedic injuries.

$7.8 Million

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Auto Accident

31-year-old man who was cut off by another car causing his car to flip over. He sustained head injuries, facial injuries, and half of his pinky finger was amputated.

$3 Million

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