Accidents are an unfortunate part of life, but when injuries leave long-lasting harm due to someone else’s carelessness, you deserve compensation. Getting the maximum amount the law allows often requires the help of a personal injury lawyer.
Cellino Law is a personal injury firm in Civic Center Manhattan that can help. Discover more about what injury lawyers can do for you and why you might need one after an injury.
When Do You Need an Injury Lawyer?
Minor bumps, bruises and scratches rarely require the assistance of an injury lawyer. However, when you deal with a substantial wound due to someone’s negligence, you should seek an attorney’s advice to determine whether you have a case and the compensation you deserve.
A lawyer helps you navigate the rules of law and make claims or file a case on time, even if you’re going to settle out of court. Since reputable firms, such as Cellino Law, offer free case consultations, you don’t have to worry about paying anything to determine if your case has merit.
What Types of Cases Do Injury Lawyers Handle?
In the law, a personal injury refers to harm to your body that is not your fault. A lawyer assists you in recovering payment from someone who injured you, either intentionally or through carelessness.
Some firms only handle specific types of injuries. Established firms with abundant resources and robust staff can take on all sorts of injury cases. For example, at Cellino Law, our team can handle workplace injuries, slip and fall accidents, dog bites, vehicle collisions and medical malpractice, to name a few.
What Is the Difference Between a Civil and Criminal Case?
An injury lawyer is a civil lawyer who settles disputes between parties. We do not handle criminal cases that determine whether a person goes to jail. However, illegal activity may cause you harm, permitting you to file a civil lawsuit for compensation.
For example, someone may strike you and cause bodily harm. If you press charges with the police, the district attorney’s office assigns a prosecutor to charge that person with battery. The facts of the case would determine what types of fines or incarceration the attacker would face for the criminal act.
However, this prosecution does not address the physical and psychological harm you deal with as a result of the attack. You need to bring a case against the person in a civil trial, where a court determines how much the person owes you to make restitution for the damages you suffered.
In New York, you can receive compensation, even if you have partial responsibility for the incident. As a pure comparative fault state, you can file for whatever percentage that other parties were liable for your injuries. Discuss your situation with an injury lawyer whenever you experience a serious injury from someone else’s actions.
How Do Lawyers Investigate Your Case?
Defendants in personal injury cases often have their own lawyers who prepare to negate any argument you present in favor of compensation. Finding acceptable evidence is not as easy as it may appear in television and movies. For this reason, many accident victims seek help from an injury lawyer.
Determining the Facts of the Case
Our law firm must analyze the accident to discern your claim’s validity. With a team of investigators, case managers and paralegals, we look at the facts and determine if we can prove the case.
An injury lawyer also investigates the amount of damages available. We review medical records, property damage, lost wages and noneconomic factors to come to a reasonable conclusion of what the negligent party should owe you.
Determining How a Defendant Will Compensate
As a plaintiff, you need to understand what types of insurance or coverage are available to pay a claim. You must also determine if the individual who harmed you has assets or income that can help you recover. Your injury lawyer can look into whether a form of liability insurance covers the type of accident you suffered.
A common example is a motor vehicle accident. Your law firm checks out the defendant’s car insurance to see what limits the at-fault party has.
Another case could be if your injury occurred on a business’s property. Our team at Cellino Law attempts to verify who is responsible and what type of coverage the entity may have to pay your claim. We also discover a defendant’s assets, such as bank accounts, investments, businesses and property, that a court can award to cover your damages.
What Types of Damages Are Possible After a Personal Injury?
Recoverable damages can take three forms in New York, economic, noneconomic and punitive.
Economic
Economic damages reimburse you for the calculable expenses you suffered from the injury. These damages include medical bills, lost wages and property damage. Establishing the full value can be difficult because insurers or defendants may want to challenge whether expenses are due to the accident or another issue.
Insurance companies will also lowball your potential earnings, so you must be ready to fight for that reimbursement. An injury lawyer can help you access statistics and data to pursue a higher settlement.
Noneconomic
Noneconomic damages compensate you for intangible losses. For instance, mental anguish, pain, suffering and loss of consortium may occur and reduce your quality of life.
Figuring how much such problems are worth can be subjective and relies on previous settlements or court awards, as well as the prevailing public sentiment. Bringing together these factors are often a struggle for people without extensive legal experience, but your injury lawyer can help.
Punitive
Punitive damages punish the defendant for malice or gross negligence. These damages send a message to the wrongdoer and comparable individuals or organizations. The payment serves as a warning against committing a similar act.
These payments are rare, and you likely only see them in high-profile cases. Arguing for punitive damages typically requires a trained legal professional to make a convincing case.
Why Can’t You Just Work Through an Insurance Company?
Sometimes, an insurance company is willing to offer you a quick settlement, so you might think it’s unnecessary to request the help of an injury lawyer. Unfortunately, not seeking guidance could lead to less compensation.
The main reason for availing yourself of legal representation when dealing with an insurance company is that the insurer will typically initiate with a lowball offer and not even open the idea of negotiation to an accident victim. Many people do not realize they can bargain for more money to cover their injuries.
Insurance adjusters work from formulas to provide the lowest possible payouts after accidents to protect the insurance company’s bottom line. An insurance company may not take your attempts to communicate seriously, or the firm may move slowly, eventually denying you the ability to take the issue to court for a decision.
An injury lawyer helps by navigating the paperwork from the insurance company with you and communicating with them on your behalf. Our team has experience dealing with insurance companies and motivating them to operate in a timely and fair manner with our clients.
Which Injury Lawyer Can Help in Civic Center Manhattan?
If you have suffered harm due to someone’s carelessness or intentional attack, reach out to us at Cellino Law. We will provide a free case evaluation to determine how to fight for fair compensation with the help of a qualified injury lawyer.