No matter where you are or what you’re doing, there’s always the potential for an accident to occur.
- There are roughly 162,000 injury related deaths in the United States every year.
- There are about 31 million injuries that happen annually that require medical attention.
- In 2015, more than 1,000 bicyclists died and there were more than 400,000 bicycle-related injuries.
- The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that about 225,000 people die each year from medical malpractice.
All of that doesn’t even include the amount of people affected each year in car accidents. There are more than five million car accidents a year in the US and of those, three million cause injuries and 40,000 are fatal.
According to Statistica, there were more than 200 million licensed drivers in the United States and with so many drivers, the probability for a car accident increases, particularly with distracted drivers.
Drugs and alcohol play a factor in driving as well. More than a million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol in 2015.
No matter where you travel, the average person experiences three to four car accidents in their lifetime and the odds of dying in a car accident are 1 in 645. If you’re involved in a car accident, there’s potential for life-threatening injuries, loss of wages and benefits and high medical costs among numerous obstacles you might face.
If you are involved in a car accident or construction accidents, it’s important to seek medical attention and keep a detailed account of your injuries and the accident to strengthen your personal injury claim.
Another good step is to consult a personal injury or accident attorney. Personal injury lawyers are experienced with handling claims, personal injury law, dealing with insurance companies and can dispense plenty of legal advice.
Benefits to hiring a personal injury or accident attorney include:
- Knowing Your Worth: An accident attorney knows what your claim is worth. Many people are unsure of how much money they can get in personal injury case and a personal injury attorney can give you a good estimate based on the specifics of your case. Based on previous experience they’ve had in dealing with folks involved in construction accidents, your attorney will know how much you could potentially get in a settlement.
- Giving You Leverage: More than 90 percent of all personal injury cases are settled pretrial, but a personal injury attorney can help give you leverage in a case. Insurance companies might be motivated to settle earlier and with a fairer amount if an accident attorney or personal injury lawyer is in your corner.
- They’re motivated: Some personal injury lawyers don’t take a fee until a settlement is recovered. Depending on the size of a personal injury settlement, personal injury attorneys usually receive about 33 percent of it Keep in mind that legal advice oftentimes isn’t free, but having a lawyer guiding you through your case can be a big help.
- Knowing the Process: Whether dealing with cases with construction accidents, dog bites or car accidents, personal injury lawyers are familiar with the legal process and can help you file the proper paperwork, complete important forms and give you legal advice. Rather than potentially getting shortchanged by insurance companies on a technicality, having a personal injury attorney helps move your claim along and get all your ducks in a row.
With such a high rate of car accidents in the United States, the chances of needing a personal injury attorney are great and consulting one has many potential benefits. Personal injury lawyers are motivated to help you, are familiar with the legal process and can give you leverage against insurance companies to increase your settlement.
Have you been injured in a car accident? Have you or people you know been involved in construction accidents? Are you in need of a personal injury lawyer? Are you seeking legal advice?
Sites like DMV.org can help you find personal injury lawyers in your state and Nolo.com/lawyers provides helpful hints on finding the right accident attorney to fit your needs.
