(757) 552-6055If you were involved in a car accident, you may be approached almost immediately by an insurance adjuster. They may tell you that you don’t need a lawyer, that they accept full responsibility, and even offer you a settlement. You may be tempted to take the deal, but doing so can leave you without the money that you need to fully recover from your injuries.
Hiring a personal injury attorney is the best way to protect your rights and ensure that you get top dollar for your losses. A personal injury lawyer will investigate the facts of the case, gather evidence, and perform legal research to prove that the other person is liable for your injuries. They will then draft a demand letter, negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company, or take the case to trial if necessary to get you maximum compensation.
At Poole, Brooke, Plumlee, we advocate for injury victims throughout Virginia who have been hurt in all types of accidents. Our skilled Virginia Beach personal injury attorneys will fight for your right to full compensation. Reach out today to schedule a free initial consultation with a member of our team.
What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do?
Personal injury lawyers handle cases that involve physical and emotional injuries to one or more people. Their job is to get you the biggest possible recovery as quickly as possible so that you can move forward with your life after an accident.
On a day-to-day basis, a personal injury lawyer may perform a variety of tasks. Most cases start with a free consultation, where your attorney will listen to your story, answer your questions, and explain your legal rights. If you decide to hire the law firm, then they will start to put together what they need to support your claim.
The next step involves fully investigating the claim and gathering evidence. This may involve obtaining a copy of an accident report, locating and interviewing witnesses, seeking out videos and photos of the scene, reviewing medical records, and working with expert witnesses. At the same time, they will perform legal research to demonstrate that the at-fault party is legally responsible for your losses.
Using this information, your attorney will send a demand letter to the other side’s insurance company. A demand letter basically lays out the facts of the case, explains why their insured is liable and makes a demand for compensation. This compensation may include the following:
- Economic damages for direct financial losses such as property damage, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, medical bills, and future medical treatment;
- Non-economic damages for intangible losses such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, scarring, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life; and/or
- Punitive damages, which are only available in cases where the at-fault party acted intentionally or recklessly (such as drunk driving accidents).
A personal injury lawyer will fully examine every aspect of your case and will consult with expert witnesses to put together a comprehensive claim for damages.
Insurance companies often respond to a demand letter with a counteroffer. This starts the negotiation process, where the parties go back and forth until they can reach an agreement.
The majority of personal injury cases are resolved outside of court. However, each case is unique and has its own timeline. It may be necessary to file a personal injury lawsuit to preserve your legal rights and continue the negotiation process. In this situation, your lawyer will prepare the pleadings and other legal documents necessary to proceed.
Once the paperwork has been filed and served on the at-fault party, your attorney will conduct discovery. This is part of the pre-trial process where the parties exchange information. They will also draft legal documents called motions to ask the court to do something (such as limit the introduction of certain evidence).
Throughout the pre-trial phase, your personal injury lawyer will continue negotiations – up to the eve of trial. If the case does not settle, then they will make arguments, question witnesses, and introduce evidence before asking a jury to render a verdict in your favor.
How Can a Personal Injury Attorney Help Me?
The role of a personal injury attorney is to advocate for your best interests, which usually means getting you the biggest possible recovery. Unlike the insurance company, they are obligated to represent your best interests. By contrast, the insurance company’s primary goal is to resolve the case for as little money as possible.
For this reason, you should never rely on what an insurance adjuster tells you about the value of your case or your liability. After all, the insurer rakes in even bigger profits when they get claims dismissed or settled for pennies on the dollar. If you want maximum compensation for your losses, you should retain an experienced Virginia Beach personal injury lawyer.
Our legal team handles all types of personal injury cases, including:
- Car accidents
- Slip and falls (premises liability)
- Truck accidents
- Dangerous and defective products (product liability)
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Wrongful death
- Motorcycle accidents
- Dog bites
For each case, we will handle all communications with the insurance company for you – leaving you free to concentrate on your health and well-being. This has the added benefit of ensuring that the insurance company doesn’t badger or trick you into giving a statement or signing any paperwork that could undermine your case.
Studies show that people who are represented by counsel recover an average of 40% more than people who represent themselves in personal injury cases. Because most personal injury law firms handle claims on a contingency fee basis, you won’t be risking anything by hiring an attorney. If you don’t recover money through a settlement or verdict at trial, you won’t be responsible for attorney’s fees. This allows you to get the benefit of experienced legal representation and the potential for a much higher recovery for your losses.
How Our Law Firm Can Help
If you have been hurt in an accident, you may not know what to do or where to turn for help. Our law firm is here for you. We will fight for your rights, and aggressively advocate for you to obtain a full recovery for your losses.
Based in Virginia Beach, Poole, Brooke, Plumlee represents injury victims throughout Virginia. We work hard to help our clients get top dollar for their personal injury claims. We never charge a fee unless we recover money for you.
To learn more or to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Virginia Beach personal injury lawyer,
Call Us at 757-499-1841 or fill out our online contact form.
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