Three Personal Injury Myths That Need to Disappear
As the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder, October becomes the ideal time of year to gather around a bonfire and tell tall tales. This tradition of sharing myths and allegories has existed as long as humans have, and the stories communicated this way can find their way into the DNA of whole cultures. You may, for instance, be one of the millions to have enjoyed the recent big-budget adaptation of The Odyssey, but did you know that this story was comminated through oral tradition? While tall tales can entertain and enlighten, they can also misinform. Today’s Malloy Law blog post will cover three personal injury myths that need to make like ghosts and disappear.
Myth 1: Personal Injury Cases Will Go To Trial
When you hear about lawyers, you think of courtrooms. This is only natural, reinforced through all manner of media, whether absorbed actively or passively. Courtroom dramas are an entire genre of fiction, and even other genres like police procedurals or other thrillers may feature dramatic courtroom confrontations.
You may see lawyers, suspects, and experts give their sworn statements in these scenes, seeing the bills accrued, or the time and tedium of filings and hearings, is far less common. The fact of the matter is that trials are often time-consuming, expensive affairs, and they introduce a degree of uncertainty into proceedings which benefits no one.
It’s important to remember that a personal injury case is under the umbrella of civil law. The idea is to provide a framework to resolve a dispute between a party that feels they have been wronged, and the party they feel has wronged them. Expedient resolution of the dispute is in everyone’s best interest, and so the vast majority of cases are settled without going to trial. As a rough estimate, only three to five percent of personal injury cases actually go to trial.
Myth 2: Insurance Companies Will Offer a Fair Settlement
In most cases, the money an injured person may be offered after an accident will come from an insurance company representing the party adjudged to have played a role in their injury. This should tell you right away whose best interests they’ll prioritize. An insurance company will seek to protect its own profits and retain the business of its client before anything else.
A personal injury attorney will have extensive experience negotiating with insurance companies, and can build an evidence based argument to win compensation for your lost wages, medical bills, and emotional trauma. Having that experience in your corner can be the difference between a settlement that covers your needs, and one that protects the insurance company’s bottom line.
Myth 3: Hiring a Lawyer Will be Too Expensive
As previously covered, legal proceedings can be expensive, especially in the case of drawn out negotiations or a jury trial. You might think this would make the cost of representation prohibitively expensive for many. However, it’s actually in the interest of the average personal injury attorney to defer these costs. Personal injury attorneys want to offer their services to as wide a range of potential clients as possible, and so most work on what is called “contingency fee.” Their compensation is a percentage of the total settlement they’ll win for their client, and they’re often only paid if they win.
How Malloy Law Can Help
If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident caused by the negligence of another party, Malloy Law is here to help. Our experienced attorneys and dedicated staff are standing by to take your call, evaluate your case, and fight for maximum compensation on your behalf. Don’t wait, contact Malloy Law today and let’s win your case.