How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Assist You: Understanding Their Role

Written by: Peter Harrison

Category: General

Published: February 2, 2024

Thousands of people throughout New York suffer injuries caused by someone else’s careless or reckless behavior each year. These injuries often result in costly medical bills, lost income, and physical and emotional pain and suffering. The good news is that under New York law, injury victims can pursue compensation from those responsible for their harm. An experienced Personal injury lawyer can help them to do so.

Personal injury lawyers specialize in determining how an accident occurred and which parties are responsible for a victim’s losses and damages. Their skillset includes examining police reports, interviewing witnesses, reviewing medical records, and consulting with experts. They use this information to build a strong case on behalf of their clients, ensuring that those who put their health and well-being at risk are held accountable for their actions.

A personal injury lawyer can be hired to assist a victim through every step of a legal claim, from negotiating with insurance companies to filing an effective lawsuit in court. They can also provide valuable insights into the legal system, which helps their clients to feel confident and comfortable throughout the process.

In order to prove that a defendant is liable for an injury, a personal injury lawyer must first establish that the victim suffered an actual loss. This is done by reviewing the victim’s medical records, which include documentation of the victim’s injuries, treatments, and prognoses. This can be difficult because a victim may not immediately realize that their injuries are severe, so it’s important to seek medical care as soon as possible.

Statements from witnesses can also be very helpful in proving fault in an accident, and our attorneys work to retrieve any contact information that may be available for potential witnesses. We also consult with experts in various fields who can help to support the claims in a case, such as an accident reconstruction specialist or a life-care planner.

Once the attorney has a clear picture of your current and future medical needs, they can prepare for a trial by submitting a packet of medical bills, reports, income loss documentation, and a liability analysis with a settlement demand to the appropriate insurance carrier. Catastrophic or serious injuries can require a lot of money to cover future costs, so your attorney may even hire an economist to project those values.

Personal injury cases can also involve a variety of other issues, including medical malpractice, which is when a patient’s healthcare provider fails to meet the standard of care in treating them for an illness or injury, and product liability, in which the manufacturer of a defective product can be held liable for a consumer’s injuries resulting from its usage. There are also some instances where a victim can file a claim for punitive damages, which is meant to punish the defendant for particularly egregious misconduct. The law is constantly evolving, and an experienced personal injury lawyer can keep pace with these changes to best serve their clients’ interests.