Calling a personal injury lawyer can help ensure not only that you are compensated fairly for injury, but that your rights are protected.
After suffering a car accident injury, most people want to move on and return to normal life. Especially in South Dakota, folks like to avoid making waves and they surely don’t think of themselves as “the kind of people who are going to sue someone.” However, knowing when to call a personal injury lawyer rather than letting the insurance company handle things can make a big difference in the outcome of your claim.
Understanding Injuries and Accidents
Accidents causing injury occur far too often. According to the South Dakota Department of Public Safety, there were nearly 18,000 reported auto accidents in the state in 2015, the most recent year for which data is available. More than 5,500 of those involved injuries.
Injuries sustained as the result of an accident can range from minor scrapes and bruises to life-threatening or permanently-disabling injuries. Most people wrongly assume that as long as “nothing is broken,” their injuries are minor and will heal quickly and completely. Often, as in the case of concussions and “whiplash,” that turns out to not be true. The full extent, impact, and duration of injuries is seldom known immediately.
A personal injury lawyer can help you understand what your rights are, decide if your claim is worth pursuing, and know what you have to do within the statute of limitations to be sure your rights are protected. The right lawyer also can help you recover an appropriate amount of compensation — enough to cover medical expenses, the cost of future care, and lost earnings or loss of earning potential due to a decreased ability to work, and compensation for the “pain and suffering” that comes with injuries.
Personal injury lawyers rarely charge a fee unless they are successful, and typically charge nothing for a meeting to just talk about your case. Insurance adjusters sometimes try to discourage you from hiring a lawyer, claiming an attorney will charge too much. In fact, the amount saved by not hiring an attorney nearly always is far less than the money lost by having your claim underpaid because you are unrepresented.
What Happens When Insurance Companies Handle Everything
When an insurance company makes an offer to compensate a victim of an injury accident, its main goal is to settle the claim as quickly as possible for the least possible amount of money. There are a couple of potential problems with this approach.
The insurance company’s settlement offer may come even before the full extent of your injuries are known. If you settle too quickly and accept the insurance company’s initial offer, you may find yourself struggling financially later because of additional complications stemming from your injury, and no legal recourse.
The insurance company is not looking out for your best interest; it is trying to keep its costs in line from a business perspective. Especially if you’re dealing with the insurance company for the other driver, the adjuster’s job is to pay you as little as possible. But even your own insurance company won’t necessarily care about you as much as its own bottom line.
How an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Can Help With Your Claim
When you hire an experienced personal injury attorney from our firm, you will have an advocate in your corner—one who understands the true cost of injury accidents and is not afraid to fight for what you are owed and deserve.
We go head-to-head with insurance companies daily for our clients, so clients do not need to deal with anyone but their attorney. We bear the additional stress of dealing with details of your case so you can focus on recovering. Seeing you get better is our first priority.
We understand that no amount of compensation can completely erase an accident. But being compensated fairly can help victims get back on their feet after an injury. Hiring a knowledgeable, experienced South Dakota personal injury law firm can help you obtain the compensation you are legally entitled to receive. If you or someone you love was injured in an auto accident, please contact Turbak Law Office, P.C. to schedule a free consultation and review of your case by calling 605-886-8361.