A question that’s commonly asked but rarely explained is how quickly you should hire a personal injury lawyer after being injured in an accident.
Obviously, your first priority should always be getting medical treatment.
Accident victims often overlook or underestimate the nature and severity of their injuries—particularly orthopedic and neurological injuries, like herniated discs, concussions and mild traumatic brain injuries—because the symptoms are masked by adrenaline and shock.
But the longer you wait to go to the Emergency Room or see a doctor, the more likely it is that your injuries will get worse and become more difficult to treat.
Your next step, after seeing a doctor, should be to contact an experienced personal injury lawyer.
Accident Victims Who Hire Personal Injury Lawyers are More Likely to Recover Damages
The strength and likelihood of success in a personal injury case is based on a number of factors, some of the most important of which include:
- the availability of evidence demonstrating how the accident occurred
- the nature and severity of your injuries
- the amount of insurance coverage available
- the amount of time that elapses between the accident and when you hire a lawyer
- your lawyer’s experience in the courtroom and ability to take the case to trial in the event of an inadequate settlement offer
According to a recent survey conducted by Martindale-Nolo Research, accident victims who don’t hire a lawyer or wait 1 year or longer to do so tend to recover substantially less in damages than accident victims who are represented by lawyers:
- Over 90% of accident victims who hired a personal injury lawyer recovered damages — either through a settlement or at trial
- 86% of accident victims who recovered no compensation ($0 in damages) were either not represented by a lawyer or waited 1 year or longer to hire one
Just as a delay in medical treatment can cause your injuries to become worse, a delay in hiring an attorney can prevent you from obtaining critical evidence needed to establish that the other party was at fault, which, in turn, can jeopardize your ability to recover damages from the party who was at fault.
Research Confirms that Accident Victims who are Represented by Experienced Personal Injury Lawyers Recover Larger Settlements
Not only does hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer substantially increase your likelihood of being compensated for your injuries, but—as found by the studies below—it tends to increase the amount of damages you recover as well:
- A study by the Insurance Research Council suggested that, on average, plaintiffs who hire a personal injury lawyer after an accident receive settlements that are at least 3.5 times larger than those without a lawyer.
- A similar study by the Consumer Panel Survey of Auto Accident Victims found that individuals who hired a personal injury lawyer following a motor vehicle accident received settlements that were approximately 70% higher than those without a lawyer.
The Benefits of Working with our Undefeated Personal Injury Lawyers
1. We have the experience, skills and resources to ensure that our clients recover the maximum compensation possible for their injuries and damages
In addition to being Undefeated, our Personal Injury Lawyers have recovered over $1 Billion for clients throughout the United States and consistently set records for the largest verdicts and settlements against the biggest companies in the world.
As a result, insurance companies and defense lawyers tend to treat our clients more fairly and their cases more seriously.
2. We know where to look for and how to obtain the evidence you need to win
Once hired, our lawyers will start collecting evidence that proves how the accident occurred, how it could have been prevented, and how it changed and affected our client’s life.
We’ll then assemble a team of the best engineers, doctors and safety experts in the country to recreate the accident, explain what the defendant did wrong, and demonstrate the severity of our client’s injuries and financial losses.
3. We care about our clients and are committed to their cases
In the words of many of our past clients, “we’re more than just lawyers, we’re like family.”
By remaining selective with the cases we handle, we’re able to devote whatever time and resources are necessary to each and every one of our clients, which ensures that we’re always available whenever they need us.
4. All of our lawyers are undefeated at trial
As trial lawyers, we begin preparing your case for trial immediately and will never accept a settlement offer unless it fully compensates you for all your injuries and damages.
Contact Our Undefeated Personal Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation at 1-888-603-3636 or by Clicking Here.
Having recovered more than $1 Billion for accident victims across Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, and the United States, our Undefeated Houston Personal Injury Lawyers have the skills, resources and experience to take on the largest corporations and insurers in the world — and win.
If you or a loved one were injured or tragically killed as a result of some else’s negligence, call 1-888-603-3636 or Click Here to send us a confidential email through our “Contact Form.”
All consultations are free and, because we work exclusively on a contingency-fee basis, you won’t owe us anything unless we win your case.