Why Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer
Personal injury lawyers deal with personal injury accident victims. Personal injury cases are civil matters. In a personal injury accident case, you are trying to obtain compensation for a physical or emotional injury that you sustained as the result of the actions of someone else. Claims for personal injury can arise from being involved in an automobile accident, a railroad accident, airline or other common carrier accident, a construction or other workplace accident, being injured as a result of a dangerous or otherwise unsafe product and other injury-causing situations. However, personal injury accident cases do not necessarily have to involve a physical injury (broken bone, cuts, etc…); they sometimes only involve psychological or emotional damages. Only a skilled personal injury accident lawyer has the experience to determine whether or not you have the type of injury that would allow you to recover damages from a third party.
Lawyers categorize psychological personal injuries as those that are typically caused by psychological trauma associated with life-threatening and/or disfiguring physical injuries, or as a result of witnessing trauma to others, or following personal escape from serious injury following a traumatic event. Before you can recover damages (money) from someone else for your injury, whether physical or emotional, your personal injury accident lawyer will have to prove that someone else (the defendant) is liable or responsible legally for your injury. Liability is proven by demonstrating that the defendant was negligent.
To prove negligence in a physical or emotional injury case is a difficult process. There are many things that must be demonstrated in order to prevail. If the responsible party does not want to pay money in order to compensate you for you physical or emotional damage, then a lawsuit will need to be filed and the case will likely need to be tried before a judge or a jury. Trying a case before a judge or a jury is a complicated matter that requires in-depth knowledge of the Ohio rules of evidence and civil procedure. Attempting to do this without a lawyer would likely be disastrous.
Typically, the party responsible for your physical or emotional injury is represented by an insurance carrier. The insurance carrier employs insurance adjustors or claim adjusters who handle the case, before a lawsuit is filed. Insurance adjusters are trained in law, medicine and crash dynamics. Attempting to resolve your claim with a skilled adjuster with an attorney may be risky. Remember, the goal of the insurance company is to pay out as little as possible. The adjustor will typically request that you give a written or recorded statement. Providing a statement without the advice of a personal injury accident lawyer can result in you damaging the value of your case. In addition, Ohio has statutes of limitation which determine how long a person has to file a lawsuit. Missing the deadline to file will result in you being unable to file a lawsuit or recover any money for your injury. An experienced personal injury attorney will know what the applicable statute of limitations is and how to avoid missing the deadline. Hiring Dayton, Ohio based personal injury lawyer Steven E. Elliot will dramatically improve your ability to pursue your injury claim.
If you or someone you know in Dayton, Ohio or a surrounding area needs the assistance of an experienced personal injury lawyer then contact personal injury lawyer Steven E. Elliott for a free consultation at 866-781-6152 or via his convenient contact form.
