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Why Hire a Personal Injury Claim Lawyer to Settle Your Case?

By Parag Bhosale

Many people who have been in an accident and make a personal injury claim believe that they can settle a case without a personal injury claim lawyer. After all, you only need lawyers when you go to court, right?

Actually, if your case involves expenses over $5,000, it is worth hiring an attorney to make sure you are getting the best possible settlement. When it comes to personal injury, insurance companies are working hard to settle for the lowest amount that the plaintiff will accept. An experienced personal injury lawyer knows how and when insurance companies are withholding money from a plaintiff and if the settlement amount offered is appropriate.

First, the biggest ways an attorney can help you is to include all the possible avenues of damages you are entitled to under Illinois tort law. The state allows plaintiffs to collect beyond mere medical expenses, which is usually what the insurance will offer you if you’re going to handle it by yourself. But you may also be entitled to claim lost wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, disability, punitive damages, disfigurement, property damage, and loss of companionship (consortium).

Your personal injury lawyer will then begin working with the defendant’s insurance company to help you get your best possible settlement. They do it by helping you in these five ways:

1. Uncovering the policy limit. The insurance company will not easily reveal their defendant’s policy limit to you, the plaintiff. Your attorney will have a better chance of finding it out and making sure the full policy amount is considered for your injury. Knowing the policy limit helps an attorney determine whether you are getting a  “low-ball” offer. If the policy limit does not cover the needed settlement amount, they can also quickly and efficiently conduct an asset investigation to find out if more funds are possibly available to you from the defendant, or by finding other insurance that may cover additional losses.

2. Making sure you are getting quality medical care. Unfortunately, there are sub-par medical care providers who will take advantage of someone expecting a settlement in a personal injury case. Your experienced personal injury attorney will make sure you will receive quality medical care that is not unnecessarily expensive or drawn out for too long.

3. Knowledge of the insurance companies. Your attorney should have experience working with big insurance companies and the local adjusters who are often assigned to thousands of cases at a time. Plaintiffs trying to handle a claim on their own will need to spend a lot of time on the phone trying to reach the adjuster assigned to their case. Attorneys can get action more quickly, especially if they have established relationships with those adjusters. Chances are you will receive a better settlement in a shorter amount of time.

4. Negotiating and distributing payments. When you receive your settlement and have creditors like medical providers looking for their payments, the check may include your medical providers’ names as well as yours. This is because your provider placed a so-called “lien” on your claim. You will have to obtain authorization from your provider to endorse that check, which means you have to make an agreement to pay them from your settlement with the insurance company. If you work with an attorney, he will negotiate down those liens in your favor and take care of all those unpaid bills. The attorney will work with medical providers who may “fluff up” their bills and instead compensate them fairly out of your settlement. Nobody will do a better job negotiating a fair settlement and passing the savings on to you than your experienced personal injury lawyer.

5. Ongoing expertise throughout the process. At Gardi, Haught, Fischer & Bhosale LTD, we care about preparing our clients and guiding them through every phase of the settlement process. Our attorneys guarantee a response to any of your questions within 24 hours of getting your message – you will never have difficulty getting an update. We are your steady, reliable partner in this fight and will be there for you every step of the way.

Workers Compensation Cases

If you have a workers comp case that you need to settle, an attorney is invaluable! In more than 90 percent of cases, an attorney will get you a higher settlement than you could on your own.

All Illinois workers comp cases are decided by an arbitrator whose job is to come up with a percentage of disability needed due to your work accident. Workers comp insurance is also supposed to cover an employee’s medical and health expenses. An attorney will always attempt to get all of these bills paid in addition to making sure you receive the maximum settlement possible.

In order to reap all the benefits of having an attorney on your side when you settle, you want someone who is trustworthy, experienced, and easily available to you for consultation. At Gardi, Haught, Fischer & Bhosale LTD, our experienced personal injury attorneys provide the personal attention you need after an accident. Our fee is based on your final settlement amount, and you pay nothing until your case is resolved or won.

At Gardi, Haught, Fischer & Bhosale LTD, we are prepared to start helping you settle your personal injury case. Call us today to discuss your needs or request a free case evaluation below.

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