If you’ve been injured as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury claim. While ultimately, these claims can be a necessary avenue to recuperating unnecessary losses, there is a lot of misinformation on what a personal injury case is and how they may be able to help the victims of negligence. Here to debunk a few of the more common myths is an experienced DC personal injury lawyer:
Myth 1: Personal injury claims are only for major injuries.
There’s no way to tell how badly an injury — even a seemingly minor one — will impact the rest of your life. A seemingly small injury can have a huge impact on your ability to work, relax and function in many ways. So while it makes sense from an individual standpoint to file a claim even on a minor injury, it also makes sense on a larger more social standpoint. By making a company pay for a minor injury, you can influence their safety standards and help prevent future injuries that wouldn’t have been so minor.
Myth 2: You don’t have to file a personal injury claim right after being injured.
You may have a small window of time between the incident and the time when you must file your claim, but that window varies by state. Each state has its own statute of limitations for certain types of personal injuries, and if you wait too long to file, you may forfeit your entitled compensation.
Myth 3: There are too many frivolous personal injury cases out there.
Many people view personal injury cases as fraudulent attempts to “scam the system;” however, most cases involve legitimate, debilitating, and costly injuries that can leave the victim feeling hopeless. It is important that an individual to be able to hold at-fault parties accountable when their negligence leads to the harm of others. For that reason, personal injury cases remain an important avenue for victims to recuperate the compensation they deserve.
Myth 4: My insurance will just take care of any expenses; there’s no need for a lengthy lawsuit.
Insurance companies often fight their responsibility to compensate victims for personal injury claims, and a lawsuit is a powerful way to not only push back, but also ensure that you get all the compensation you deserve. Most insurance agencies are more concerned about their bottom dollar than they are for your best interest, and will often try to settle for less than your accident requires. With the help of a personal injury lawyer, most personal injury cases are adjudicated or settled within a year for an amount greater than an initial settlement offer prior to counsel’s help.
For more information on personal injury claims, or to discuss your particular case with an experienced professional, contact a local personal injury lawyer today.
Thanks to our friends and co-contributors from Cohen & Cohen, P.C. for their added insight into debunking some of the common myths surrounding personal injury practice.
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