Personal injury claims repay victims for the medical bills, lost earnings, and other damages they face from an accident. Whether you were involved in a car accident, a slip and fall, or some other accident, our lawyers can fight for full compensation.
Insurance companies will often underpay, and companies with large legal teams will work to shut your case down or push you into a low-dollar settlement. Our lawyers can stand up for you, negotiate fair settlements, and help you avoid the pressure these lawyers put on you.
Call the Law Office of John J. Sheehan’s personal injury attorneys at (617) 925-6407 for a free case evaluation.
What to Do After an Accident in Rockland
If you were hurt in any kind of accident, there are many steps you can take. However, you should focus on these three:
Get Medical Attention
If you were hurt, it is important to understand the full extent of your injuries. Call 911, get an ambulance to respond, and have them examine you.
If you need to go to the hospital, go directly there. Do not wait to collect evidence or speak with the police; they can follow up with you later.
Police will usually respond along with ambulances. However, if you were in a car accident, you should specifically request a police response, too. This might be unnecessary with other kinds of accidents, but responding officers might write some kind of report for any police response they are a part of.
Collect Evidence
If the ambulance crew clears you to stay at the scene for a bit, you can collect additional evidence, or you can do so while you wait for the ambulance.
Getting the names and contact info of anyone involved in the accident – witnesses, possible defendants, store workers, etc. – will help you build your case later. You should also get pictures of what happened, including your injuries, the scene of the accident, and any dangers present.
If you were in a car crash, photos should cover the damage to the vehicles, the locations of the vehicles, and the intersection or roadway. If you were involved in a slip and fall, get a picture of the puddle, ice, or other hazard. For other accidents, pictures of the dangerous conditions, defective products, or other dangers are also important.
Not every case will have something you can take a picture of, such as in medical malpractice cases, so this is not always necessary.
Call a Lawyer
After you have started the road to recovery and know a little about what happened to you, call a personal injury lawyer. We can follow up to collect additional evidence, get copies of police reports and medical records, and start building your case right away.
Should I Settle or Go to Court for an Injury Case?
If you settle your injury case, it is over. You get the money you agreed to with no further questions about how much it will cost, but you also give up the right to any further damages if your injury gets worse.
On the other hand, going to trial takes longer, and there is always a risk you could lose at trial. Even so, it might lead to higher damages if the insurance company refuses to pay full value for your damages.
Ultimately, each case is unique, and you should consult with your attorneys about what route is best in your specific case. In any case, do not settle or accept any money without your lawyer reviewing the case first. Doing so could lock you into low damages.
What is My Injury Case Worth?
Our lawyers can assess your damages on a case-by-case basis. We can look for all of the economic damages available to you, including medical bills, home nursing care expenses, childcare costs, property damage, replacement services, and lost earnings. We can also look for non-economic damages to cover pain, suffering, emotional distress, and more.
You can estimate the value of your economic damages yourself by looking at all bills, receipts, or appraisals related to your accident. Non-economic damages have other standard calculation methods you can apply, such as the multiplier method. This assigns a multiplier from 1.5 to 5, based on the severity of your injury, and multiplies other damages by that number.
You should never believe the insurance company’s valuation of your case, and you should always rely on a lawyer’s professional assessment before settling.
Do I Really Need an Injury Lawyer?
You can technically pursue damages on your own, but this is a bad idea for four major reasons.
First, you likely do not have the experience needed to know what your case is worth and what the best route to success is. You also likely have no legal training and should not be expected to act as your own lawyer.
Second, the defendant likely has insurance, so they will have their own lawyer. An imbalanced case is hard to win, and the defense attorneys will do everything they legally and ethically can to take advantage of you if you are unrepresented.
Third, our lawyers can handle the case while you focus on recovery. Acting as your own lawyer while you are in physical therapy or unable to work increases the burden on you.
Lastly, our skills, training, and experience can be leveraged for you. There is no need to reinvent the wheel by taking the case on yourself; let our experienced lawyers help you.
Should I Talk to the Insurance Company First?
You may want to try filing an insurance claim to get damages before calling a lawyer, but you should call a lawyer first. We can talk to the insurance companies for you and negotiate a fair settlement.
Plus, while signing documents or accepting money might seem like the natural thing to do, it might act as a settlement that blocks you from getting full damages. Call us first before putting anything on the record or accepting anything from the insurance company.
Call Our Personal Injury Lawyers in Rockland Today
Call (617) 925-6407 for a free case evaluation with the personal injury lawyers at the Law Office of John J. Sheehan.