Nobody wants to get injured, but if it does happen you could be entitled to financial compensation. The problem is, a lot of the time people don’t know when or if they could be entitled to that compensation, and if they do, they don’t know how much money they’re entitled to. That’s where attorneys come into play. In this article we’re going to cover a couple of different examples of when a personal injury attorney would come in handy, and potentially make you rich.
EXAMPLE NUMBER ONE: WORKMANS COMP VS. PERSONAL INJURY
Let’s say you get hurt at work. You work in a warehouse. While working at the warehouse a large pallet falls onto you. You break your arm and are rushed away to the hospital. While at the hospital your boss calls and tells you he wants to help you file a workmans comp claim. In fact, he’ll help you fill out the paperwork! How nice of him right? WRONG! You could be entitled to potentially millions of more dollars by filing a personal injury lawsuit as opposed to a workmans comp claim. The key difference between a personal injury lawsuit and a workmans comp claim is liability. If you get hurt on the job and it’s not your employers fault you can still file a workmans comp claim. If you get hurt on the job and it is your employers fault you can sue for personal injury! What’s the difference between the two? A heck of a lot of money!
For a workmans comp claim you can only be compensated for your medical bills and wages lost due to the injury. In a personal injury lawsuit not only can you sue for lost wages and medical bills but you can also sue for what’s called punitive damages. What are punitive damages? Basically punitive damages are a way courts can punish companies for being careless and making mistakes. The larger the company, the larger the potential punitive damages are. The differences between these two types of claims can be subtle though, and that’s why it’s important to always consult an attorney before making a decision of which route to go.
EXAMPLE NUMBER TWO: SETTLING VS. GOING TO TRIAL
Let’s say you’re riding a motorcycle and a drunk driver hits you head on. Your spine is fractured and the doctor tells you you can never ride your motorcycle again. The insurance company is offering you $3 million to settle but that’s not worth it to you. The cost of never being able to ride your motorcycle again is much higher than that and you want to take them to trial. That’s where your attorney comes into play. He can assess the case and the evidence and tell you how much money you’re potentially entitled to. Going to trial is risky because if you the case lose your damages could become greatly reduced, or even completely removed.
In conclusion, personal injury attorneys spend their lives dedicated to studying cases like these and are the most qualified people to assess these types of cases and come to logical conclusions. If you or a loved one have been injured and feel you may be entitled to financial compensation, don’t hesitate to reach out to a lawyer. Almost all law firms offer free consultations and if they believe your case is a winner most firms will take personal injury cases on a must-win basis (meaning they don’t get paid unless you win). AJK legal can potentially make you millions of dollars and get you the money you deserve for not only your injuries but also your pain and suffering.