Have you ever been in a situation where you have suffered an injury due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness? Perhaps you have been in a car accident or traumatic brain injury. If so, you know that dealing with the aftermath of such an incident can be stressful, overwhelming, and confusing. In such situations, hiring a personal injury lawyer can make a huge difference in your ability to get the compensation you deserve. This blog explores why you may need a personal injury lawyer and how they can help you navigate the legal system and get the justice you deserve.
Liability for the Accident Is Disputed
Utah is a no-fault state for auto accidents. You are required to maintain $3,000 in PIP (personal injury protection) as part of your insurance policy. This will shoulder your medical expenses for your injuries.
But when the accident results in bodily dismemberment, permanent disfigurement, and/or permanent disability, Utah law allows you to seek compensation for damages against another party.
You cannot make a claim for general damages, including pain and suffering unless your damages reach the tort threshold allowing you to make a claim against the other party. Still, you can make a claim for special damages, such as lost wages, without reaching the tort threshold.
That is why it may be necessary to consult with a personal injury lawyer if you have been involved in an auto accident resulting in bodily dismemberment, disfigurement, or disability. Determining whether your damages meet the tort threshold and navigating the legal process to seek compensation can be complex and may require the assistance of a lawyer.
You Are Being Blamed for Your Part in the Accident
Another situation that can come up is the other party accepting liability for the accident but claiming that your actions contributed to the accident. For instance, the driver of an 18-wheeler might accept responsibility for hitting your motorcycle when they ran a stop sign but argue for reduced damages because you were speeding as you approached the intersection.
The compensation for your injuries can be reduced in proportion to the percentage of fault a judge and jury believes was due to you. A personal injury accident lawyer has the experience needed to argue for reducing your adjudicated share of responsibility for the accident.
Multiple Parties Are Involved
Multiple vehicle crashes, including motorcycles and trucks, almost always involve multiple parties covered by multiple insurance policies. When you are injured by multiple parties in the same incident, the amount of liability involved greatly increases. But you will need an attorney in this case of a personal injury accident in Utah to help you navigate a longer and more complicated process of negotiating and making settlements.
You Suffered a Traumatic, Disfiguring, or Disabling Injury
Anyone who suffers a traumatic, disfiguring, dismembering, or disabling injury—or who loses a spouse or a family member in an accident—needs a Utah personal injury attorney. Serious injuries may require lifetime care, costing a larger amount of compensation, replacing the earnings of a young parent or spouse killed in an accident.
The amount you need to make you as whole as possible is too great to leave to chance. Insurance adjusters work for the insurance company’s finance department, not for you. They will always try to get you to agree to the lowest settlement possible, even when they know it will not meet your needs. You need a skilled Utah personal injury attorney to make sure you get the compensation you deserve.
You Don’t Know How To Deal With Insurance Adjusters
Insurance adjusters gather information to justify the amount they will cover. You may have to deal with your own insurance company’s adjuster and with the other party’s insurance adjuster.
It is never a good idea to volunteer information to an insurance adjuster. You can accidentally give them information that hurts your case. You should always be honest with any insurance adjuster, but you should never give them the information they can twist and distort to undermine the integrity of your claim.
It is even worse to guess when the adjuster asks you a question. It is better simply to admit that you do not know something and go on. Likewise, giving an insurance adjuster blanket access to your medical records waives your rights under HIPAA and allows the adjuster to ask your doctor about anything they like.
