Not All Injuries Lead To An Injury Lawsuit
In a perfect world, you would never need or want to file a personal injury lawsuit. No one would suffer severe injuries, lose a loved one, or incur other damages due to someone else’s negligence or recklessness. But it isn’t a perfect world. Every day in Colorado Springs, individuals get into car accidents, slip and fall, or experience injuries and losses in any number of other ways.
When that happens, victims may not know what to do or who to turn to for help. They know that they are in pain and that their injuries keep them out of work and out of a paycheck. Coloradans dealing with injuries from the negligence of others see the medical bills and other expenses piling up and feel the stress and anxiety that only adds to their predicament. And often injury victims may believe that none of this is their fault, and wonder how they can hold accountable the person who put all of these burdens on their shoulders.
Meeting With An Experienced Attorney Is The Best Way To Understand Whether a Personal Injury Lawsuit Makes Sense
If you suffered injuries in a car accident in Colorado Springs or other incident, you likely have some or all of these feelings. But how do you know whether you are a good candidate to file a personal injury lawsuit? How do you know whether you have a legal claim for compensation that is worth pursuing?
The fact is, you probably won’t know the answers to these questions until you meet with an experienced Colorado Springs personal injury attorney for a free initial consultation. Injury lawyers know the law, can analyze the unique facts and circumstances of your accident and injuries, and understand how insurance companies and local judges and juries approach injury claims. With their insights and experience, a personal injury attorney can tell you whether a personal injury lawsuit is the best course of action if you want to get compensation for your injuries.
That said, the following are signs that a personal injury lawsuit may be something you and your lawyer should seriously consider.
You Suffered Injuries and Losses
Many car accidents are fender-benders that cause minimal damage to a vehicle and don’t involve any physical injuries. Same with a slip and fall that leaves someone with nothing more than a couple of scrapes and a few seconds of embarrassment.
Personal injury law in Colorado follows the basic principle of “no harm, no foul.” That is, a plaintiff must prove that they suffered damages or losses because of the defendant’s negligence to obtain compensation in a personal injury lawsuit. A defendant could engage in the most egregious and irresponsible conduct, but if that conduct doesn’t hurt you, it doesn’t matter.
Fender-benders that do not involve injuries typically resolve themselves through the drivers’ car insurance companies. But when an accident victim does suffer injuries, no matter how minor, the stakes become higher. So too do the insurance company’s efforts to defend themselves against claims for compensation based on medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages.
If you experienced any kind of injury after an accident, you should meet with an attorney to discuss your situation. Some injuries that seem like no big deal at first can get worse over time. You want to ensure that you preserve your right to seek compensation for any and all consequences of your accident.
You might like: How Do You Prove Pain and Suffering In a Colorado Injury Lawsuit?
An Insurance Company Won’t Offer You the Compensation You Deserve
Not all personal injury claims lead to personal injury lawsuits. Sometimes, an injury victim and their attorney can settle the matter directly with the defendant’s insurance company without filing a lawsuit.
In most injury cases, it is often the negligent party’s insurance company that handles the claim’s defense, negotiates with the plaintiff’s attorney, and pays out any settlement or judgment in favor of the plaintiff. For example, a car insurance company will defend their driver in an accident case, a homeowners’ policy may cover a slip and fall, and a malpractice carrier will defend a doctor in a case involving a medical error.
The problem is that insurance companies want to pay out as little as possible on claims and will do everything they can to deny responsibility. That is why you should never negotiate with an insurance company without an attorney and why personal injury lawsuits are so often necessary.
Time Is Running Out To File a Personal Injury Lawsuit
A statute of limitations is a law that sets forth the period within which you must file a lawsuit for a particular claim. These time periods vary in length depending on the type of injury. If you file a lawsuit after the applicable statute of limitations has passed, a judge will promptly dismiss it, and you will not be able to obtain any compensation for your losses.
That is one of the biggest reasons to meet with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after your accident. Sometimes, however, a statute of limitations for a claim may be rapidly approaching. This could be because a victim waited a long time before meeting with a lawyer. Often, a plaintiff’s lawyer will still be negotiating with the other party’s insurance company as the cutoff date draws near.
In such cases, filing a personal injury lawsuit is necessary to preserve a victim’s rights while further investigation or negotiations continue.
Have Questions About a Personal Injury Claim? Arrange Your Free Consultation With a Colorado Springs Personal Injury Attorney Today
Why spend your time wondering whether you are a good candidate for a personal injury lawsuit when you can get an answer at no cost? The experienced Colorado Springs injury attorneys at King & Beaty can meet with you in person or virtually to discuss your case and advise you of your options. Please contact us today to arrange for your free initial consultation.
