If you are injured, the days following your injury quickly turn into a blur as you focus on your care and recovery. It's easy to forget about your legal rights in the days ahead. Yet you do have rights, particularly if the injuries were caused by someone else's action, inaction or negligence. One of those rights is the right to file a personal injury claim against the at-fault individual. How can you know whether or not you need to file a claim? Here are some considerations that will help you make the right decision.
Consider Your Costs
One of the first things to think about when determining whether you need to file a claim is how many expenses you face after your injury. While the first cost you will need to consider is your immediate medical care, DMV.org warns that additional costs could include:
All of these can add up quickly, even for seemingly minor injuries, and working with a personal injury lawyer can help ensure that you don't overlook any of these important costs.
Weigh Your Pain and Suffering
One aspect of an injury that is difficult to put a price on is the overall pain and suffering you experience. Often after a serious injury or accident, the injured individual may experience anxiety and fear, and the overall pain and suffering the injury causes can create serious problems for the future. These costs deserve to be considered when deciding whether to file a claim.
Consider Changes to Your Quality of Life
If your injury has caused nagging problems, your overall quality of life may suffer. In these instances, you deserve to be compensated for this change. Again, this is a "cost" that is difficult to quantify, but if your quality of life has suffered due to the injury, you may want to consider filing a claim.
Look at the Circumstances of the Accident or Injury
Finally, consider the circumstances surrounding the accident or injury. Did it occur because of someone's actions or someone's overall carelessness? If the negligence of another person or a business resulted in harm to you, you may have a good chance of receiving compensation.
If You Suffered Serious Injury, Consider Your Options
If you suffered an injury that led to any major medical expenses, even if you have those expenses covered with your private insurance, you need to consider your legal options. There may be underlying costs and expenses to consider that you haven't looked at yet or that will pop up in the future. However, the law puts limitations in place as to when a personal injury case may be filed. If you decide you need help to pay for your recovery and therapy but the deadline has passed, you will not have any options.
To ensure you make the right choices in the days ahead, it's important that you consult with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney. An attorney will help ensure that you are fully protected in the days and months ahead as you focus on your recovery. To find out what your options are, schedule a consultation with a personal injury attorney to discuss the details of your case. Most personal injury attorneys do not charge for the initial review and ultimately receive payment only if they are successful in securing compensation for you.
