When faced with a personal injury claim in Texas, one of the key questions that comes up is whether you need a lawyer. A personal injury lawyer provides legal guidance for your case, whether it is for a settlement or during the trial process. The role of a lawyer also comes in when gathering evidence, filing and submitting relevant forms, and securing adequate compensation.
“Before hiring a personal injury attorney after an accident, you should know how much they can contribute to the overall success of your case,” says Felix Gonzalez of Felix Gonzalez Accident and Injury Law Firm. In this article, we provide a detailed analysis of the key roles played by lawyers in a personal injury claim.
Collecting Necessary Evidence
Regardless of the type of personal injury you are faced with, you always need to prove your claim. One key element that must be established in a personal injury claim is negligence. You also have to show that this negligent act resulted in damages. A notable way to show these two factors is through the presentation of evidence. One of the key roles of a personal injury lawyer is ensuring that all of the pieces of evidence necessary for your case are collected. This can range from photos and videos of the scene to medical documents and statements of eyewitnesses. They not only gather this evidence but also make sure it is arranged and presented in a manner that proves your claim.
Protecting Legal Rights Through the Process
Another role played by personal injury lawyers is the protection of your legal rights from the start of the case until the conclusion. Usually, victims always think they only have the at-fault party to deal with. However, this is not entirely true, as others may come up in the process. Insurance companies always try to ensure that they reduce their payouts as much as possible. With a lawyer, your interactions with these companies can be guided so that they do not harm your case. A lawyer also ensures that your rights are protected, either during settlement discussions or if the case goes to trial.
Guiding you through the legal paperwork
Personal injury claims ending with a settlement always require paperwork at every point. Without adequate legal knowledge, this paperwork can appear confusing to you. For example, you have to ensure that adequate medical records are documented and stored to show damages. During settlements, you must ensure that details of the accident and its impact are presented. At trial, you also need to file your claim at the appropriate court and present documents as evidence. Briefs of argument also all need to be filed before the court and at the appropriate time. Considering that there is a statute of limitations for personal injury cases, this paperwork needs to be drafted and filed as quickly as possible.
Assessing the Extent of Damage for Compensation
In personal injury cases, there is always talk of getting adequate compensation. Victims always want to get as much compensation as possible to return them to the state they would have been in had the accident not happened. However, there are times when it becomes challenging to assess the extent of damage caused when determining compensation. Failure to fully assess damages can impact the compensation that will be presented during settlement or at trial.
While economic damages are usually easy to assess, the same cannot be said of non-economic damages. These issues can be addressed with the help of a personal injury attorney. Considering their experience in handling similar cases, they can use that to examine how much physical damage the victim suffered. Then, they can also determine the impact of that physical damage on the emotional, psychological, and mental state of the victim. They assess this based on the short-term and possible long-term impact of the damage suffered.
Conclusion
A personal injury lawyer in Texas can be helpful in several ways through the personal injury claim process. They can ensure the effective gathering and analysis of relevant evidence and ensure your legal rights are safeguarded through the process. They can also offer you any legal guidance about the case you may need at any point.