Sometimes it is relatively easy to obtain fair compensation for a personal injury without the help of a personal injury attorney. For instance, if you were involved in a car crash that caused a minor injury and a few hundred dollars' damage to your vehicle, you should be able to file an insurance claim by yourself and recover all of the compensation you need. However, there are many other situations where you need an Ohio personal injury attorney to have the best chance of obtaining compensation for all of the damages you have suffered. This includes situations involving:
- Severe injuries, including long-term or permanent disabilities that create significant medical bills
- Insurance companies that are denying compensation or offering an unfair settlement
- Medical negligence by a healthcare provider
- Defective product claims, including drugs, medical devices and car parts
- Wrongful death
An Attorney Is Motivated To Obtain Maximum Compensation
The lawyers at O'Connor, Acciani & Levy charge no upfront costs and work on a contingency fee basis. What this means is that we do not charge clients for our services unless we obtain compensation through a jury verdict or settlement, either from insurance or an out-of-court settlement. This means that our firm is always going to fight for the highest amount of compensation allowed by the at-fault party's insurance policy or state limits on personal injury damages. The other advantage of the contingency fee system is that our clients do not have to worry about how they will pay for our services. They are free to focus on recovering from their injuries and helping us build the strongest case possible.An Attorney Has Experience Working With Insurers
In some cases, the first place to obtain compensation is with the at-fault party's insurance company. However, dealing with insurers is a difficult process, one the average person does not know much about. Working with an insurance company after a minor accident is much different than filing a claim after a serious accident that caused severe injuries. The insurance company wants to pay out as little compensation as possible for your injuries. Adjusters are trained to be polite so you think they are on your side. However, they will use anything you say against you to devalue or even deny the claim. An experienced attorney can work with the insurance company on your behalf. He or she has been through the insurance claims process many times and knows how to defend your rights while pursuing fair compensation. A lawyer understands the negotiating process and will not feel pressured by the insurance company into accepting any lowball offers.LAWYERS KNOW HOW TO ACCURATELY VALUE YOUR CLAIM
Outside of you and your family, your attorney is the only one who truly cares about valuing your personal injury claim accurately. Insurance companies and lawyers for the at-fault party are trying to devalue your claim at every turn. Our skilled lawyers will gather all of the necessary evidence to come to an accurate valuation of all of the compensation you deserve, for the past, present and future. This includes non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering or loss of enjoyment, which are harder to prove than economic damages like medical bills. We will advise you on how to gather evidence of non-economic damages because we know that personal injuries have psychological and emotional as well as physical effects.LAWYERS CAN ENSURE CONTRIBUTORY FAULT LAWS ARE APPLIED CORRECTLY
Courts in Ohio apply a modified contributory fault rule to personal injury claims. There are two things you need to know about this law:- Personal injury claimants cannot recover any compensation if the court determines they are more than 50 percent at fault for their injuries.
- Assuming you are less than 50 percent at fault, your compensation award will be reduced by your percentage of fault. This means that if you were 40 percent at fault, and you were awarded $100,000, you award will be reduced to $60,000.
PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEYS KNOW THE LEGAL PROCESS
An attorney will provide expert guidance, helping you preserve vital evidence, document the severity of your injuries and track expenses related to the injuries you have suffered. He or she knows the process which must be followed, that documents need to be filed and how to complete them. Working with a personal injury attorney will help you avoid missing out on a settlement because of mistakes in the legal process.AN ATTORNEY ENSURES A CLAIM IS FILED BEFORE THE DEADLINE PASSES
In Ohio, like every other state, there is a deadline for filing a personal injury claim. This deadline is also known as the statute of limitations. Once the statute expires, you are prohibited from filing a claim. Ohio's deadline for personal injury claims is two years from the date of the accident or the cause of the action. State law allows more time in certain situations. For example:- In cases where the claimant was injured by a toxic chemical, drug or medical device, the statute of limitations does not begin until the claimant is informed by a competent medical authority that he has an injury related to the chemical, drug or device. The statute would also begin if the claimant knew or should have known about the injury by exercising due diligence.
- In claims involving injuries from asbestos exposure, the statute does not begin until the claimant knew or should have known about his or her injuries or when he or she was informed by a competent medical professional.
