The Steps of a Personal Injury Claim

No one ever wants to go through the personal injury claims process, mainly because no one ever wants to experience a personal injury in the first place. However, accidents happen and if the accident is not your fault, then you need the compensation to take care of any expenses caused by that accident. Those expenses can include medical bills, repair bills, and lost wages.

If you are going to make a personal injury claim, then you will need the help of an experienced personal injury attorney. That is because you have a better chance of getting the compensation you need with the help of a personal injury attorney. They will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf to make sure that you get the payout you need. If you are in the Fresno area and need legal assistance with the personal injury claims process, then contact the Grossman Law Offices.

Contact an Attorney

This should be the first step in any claims process because it is easily the most important. A personal injury attorney knows the ins and outs of the personal injury claims process and can help you to file your claim. They will also negotiate with the insurance company to make sure that you get a fair offer. Ultimately, a personal injury attorney is invaluable when it comes to the personal injury claims process.

Investigation of Your Case

Once you have retained an attorney they will begin an investigation into your case. They will look at police reports, examine evidence, and collect witness testimony in order to learn as much about your case as they can. Your attorney will also collect your medical bills, repair bills, and calculate the amount of income you lost due to being unable to work in order to find out how much compensation that you are owed.

The Demand Package

Once the investigation has been completed and your attorney has come up with a settlement amount, they will then send a letter to the opposing party detailing all of your liability and damages. The opposing party will review the letter and decide to accept it, offer to renegotiate, or reject it. If they accept the letter, then they will pay the settlement amount and the case ends here. If they renegotiate and offer you an acceptable settlement, then the case ends here, but if they offer an amount that is too low, or if they reject the demand letter, then the case continues.

Filing a Lawsuit

If the case cannot be resolved after sending the demand package, then you will have no choice but to file a lawsuit if you want to get the compensation you need. Your attorney will help you to draft and file the lawsuit and make sure that everything is being done in the proper manner.

The Discovery Stage

Once a lawsuit has been filed, the lawyers for each party obtain the evidence their opposition has collected. This sharing of evidence may seem odd, but it is necessary so that each side can prepare and offer the best possible defense to their client.

The Mediation Stage

After a lawsuit has been filed, both parties go into mediation, which is when a neutral third party helps them to come to a resolution. This is done so that a trial can hopefully be bypassed. That is because a trial is a long, expensive, and unpredictable process that both parties will want to avoid as much as possible. If both parties can agree to a resolution, then the case ends at this stage, but if they cannot, then the case continues.

The Trial

If both parties cannot resolve the case, then this is where they end up. Fortunately, personal injury cases rarely get this far since the time and expense of a trial is rarely worth the trouble. However, in the unlikely event that a personal injury case does make it this far, the attorney will be there to help their client and give them the best chance of a successful outcome.

Hire an Attorney For Help with Your Personal Injury Case

There are many steps in a personal injury claim, but the most important one is the first, which is the hiring of an experienced personal injury attorney. That is because they can guide you through all of the following steps. A personal injury lawyer can help to make sure that your claim ends as early as possible and that it is in your favour. If your claim does end up going the distance, then your attorney will be there with you all the way to give you the best chance of success. So do not hesitate to contact an attorney after you have experienced a personal injury.