Personal Injury Lawyer Tazewell, VA

When a victim has been injured in an accident, they often suffer trauma and pain, depending on the extent and circumstances of the injury. Whether you are a victim of a car crash, premises liability, defective product, or any other incident in Virginia, the first thing you should do is immediately seek medical attention and determine how badly you have been injured. Once you have been checked out by a doctor, your next step should be calling a personal injury lawyer Tazewell, VA residents turn to. Moreover, there are different types of personal injuries that should be accounted for as well.  For example; some personal injuries that end up taking place involve vehicle accidents.  However, this is not black and white, since there are many facets that should be taken into consideration when it comes to these kinds of personal injury accidents. 

For example; when it comes to vehicles and personal injury, sometimes they can be caused by factors, such as drunk driving and speeding.  However, to provide even more depth, drunk driving can sometimes be caused by factors, such as road rage while drunk, tailgating while drunk, and more.  However, even if someone is not driving under the influence, speeding on the road, is what can lead to personal injuries.  Examples of this would be tailgating an individual to try and get ahead of them, which can put someone at risk of getting into a car crash, if the person in front of the trailer gator has to make a sudden stop, running through a red light or a stop sign when someone is in a hurry, and more.

At The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt, we understand that victims who have suffered injuries are often faced with an extensive recovery period. This leads to great financial strain, between medical expenses and being unable to work while the injuries heal. When the incident or accident was caused by another party, then the laws of Virginia allow the victim to sue for damages for their losses.

A personal injury lawyer will advocate for the victim and represent their interests in a personal injury case. These cases are often complex, and it is critical to retain the services of a lawyer who has the legal expertise and experience. Moreover, one of the most important factors about a personal injury lawyer, is the way that they handle each case differently.  Not every case is black and white, which aids in being able to take a look at each personal injury case, from a multilayered perspective. For example; in some cases, a personal injury may not even be a car crash.  Some other examples could be someone slipping and falling onto a wet floor that had no warning sign for a slippery floor, causing them a neck injury or concussions.  From there, factors are looked at, such as how much the person suffered physically and mentally.

The sooner you contact a Tazewell, VA personal injury lawyer, the better your chances of preserving evidence and being successful in your claim will be. For example, in a car accident case, there are many pieces of evidence that need to be collected right away before they disappear. Videotape from surveillance cameras in the area of the crash can be invaluable to a case, however, these recordings are often held for a very short period of time. Physical evidence, such as skid marks, debris, and other markers should be photographed immediately before they are gone.

The same holds true for 911 calls. Tapes of any calls that came in to report the accident could have key evidence which could help prove the victim’s case. There could be witnesses that called the accident in but did not stay at the site to talk to the responding officer. Sometimes, even the at-fault driver will call and admit guilt for the crash to the dispatcher. However, there is only a limited amount of time to obtain those tapes because law enforcement only maintains the tapes for approximately three to four months, depending on the protocols of the municipality.

Negotiating with Insurance Companies

Another benefit to having a personal injury lawyer representing you is the experience they have in dealing with insurance companies and negotiating a settlement. A victim who tries to negotiate on their own often ends up with either much less than what their injury losses are worth, or the insurance company will deny their claim completely. The chances of these two things happening are very low when you have a lawyer fighting for you.

Be Wary of Insurance and Their Adjusters

Despite what the commercials claim, not all insurance companies are going to be there and on your side when you need them the most. Insurance companies are a for-profit entity, and there’s many things that happen behind the scene that they don’t want you to know about. 

For instance, you will be contacted by an insurance adjuster shortly after submiting an insurance claim. An insurance adjuster may seem friendly and as if they have your best interest in mind, but they really don’t. In fact, it is the adjuster’s job to get you to make certain statements that can be used against you in reducing or denying your claim. An insurance company’s biggest concern, above all else, is to save money. They would prefer to have you pay out of your own pocket than theirs, even if you fairly are owed compensation for what you have been through. 

This doesn’t mean insurance companies can act how they want though, as they must abide by the terms of their insurance policy, federal and state laws, promises they’ve made, and upholding a duty of good faith. But unfortunately, many insurance payers put too much trust into insurance and their adjusters, thinking that they are there to help when it’s actually the opposite. 

Furthermore, the first offer you get from your insurance is probably going to be far lower than what you are owed. If you received an early settlement, it’s reasonable to assume this amount is vastly less than what your claim is worth. And to top it off, the insurance company knows exactly what they are doing to you, during a time when you need their help the most. If these signs apply to your case, then we suggest contacting our law firm for assistance.

4 Reasons to Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer

1.You were seriously injured and needed medical care

When people get serious injuries, it is important that they end up getting medical help and assistance immediately.  One of the reasons why this is important, is because if someone waits to get a serious injury treated, there could be serious consequences that come about, such as amputation, infection, and more.  For example; let’s say that someone has a deep cut in their leg, and instead of going to the hospital to get it treated, they try to treat it themselves.  This could lead to an infection if the deep cut is not treated properly and handled by professionals. 

2. You have questions or concerns about your injury claim

Questions or concerns about one’s injury claim are important.  One of the reasons why this is the case, is because asking various questions, helps an individual to have a great understanding of the kind of injury that they are suffering from, whether the personal injury requires serious medical assistance or at home care, and more.  These are some of the factors that should be taken into consideration,, when it comes to questions or concerns about injury claims.  

3. You have not been given a satisfactory settlement offer

There are times, where a person may not feel like they have been given a satisfactory settlement offer.  Some of the reasons why people may feel this way, is because the injury and suffering that the individual went through, may have a compensation attached to it, that one may not find satisfactory. That is why it is important, have a discussion about the compensation at hand that will justify the price.  Examples of questions to focus on, would be as follows.  What kind of compensation are you looking for? How serious is the injury? The reasons why these kinds of questions are important to ask, is because they aid in breaking down a case, through a case by case basis. Moreover, not every personal injury case is black and white, whether that be the severity of the injury that took place, the damage of the vehicle, people that were involved, and more.  As such, contacting a personal injury lawyer when it comes to such situations, is a viable option.

4. There may be more than one party at-fault, and you may be unfairly blamed for the accident

When it comes to personal injury cases, there should be a strong focus on assessing who was involved, since not all cases are black and white.  As such, questions to ask, should have a strong focus on who was involved, why they were involved, whether the individual who wants justice, feels like the personal injury was the fault of another., such as falling onto a slipping floor or a workplace accident involving machinery, and more.  Now; there may be some people who end up arguing that when it comes to accidents such as slips and falls, they are not as big of a deal, in comparison to other injuries that could take place at the time.  While this may be true in some cases, it all depends on the impact of the fall that the individual received, in relation to the damage that was done, with examples being spinal injuries, concussions or a broken nose, and more. In other words, cases should not be dismissed, just because they may not seem as big of a deal, if one looks at the surface level of things.

For all these reasons stated above, many people prefer to have a legal team guide and protect them as their accident claim is being processed. We can advocate for the victim and ensure they are not being taken advantage of. If you are wondering whether you need a lawyer, remember this: many insurance companies immediately become more giving and willing to negotiate once a lawyer becomes involved. You may not be required to have a lawyer per say, but the pay off for hiring one can make the difference in your recovery.

Contact Our Law Firm for Help

No matter what type of accident you have been injured in, contact The Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt to schedule a free case evaluation and find out what legal options you have for collecting the financial compensation you may be entitled to.