If you’ve been injured in an accident, you may need a personal injury attorney to help you get the compensation you deserve. Stephen J. Zielinski is a personal injury lawyer with over 25 years of experience helping accident victims recover damages for their injuries. Contact him today for a free consultation and learn how he can help you get the money you need to pay for your medical bills, lost wages, and more.
Why do I need a personal injury attorney?
Accidents happen, and when they do, it can be difficult to know what to do next. One question that often arises after an accident is whether or not you need a personal injury attorney. Some people may assume that they can simply call their insurance company and request a check to cover any damages, but is that really the best course of action? In this blog, we’ll explore why having a personal injury attorney can be critical in ensuring that your rights are protected and that you receive the compensation you’re entitled to after an accident.
Insurance Companies and Dirty Hands
To help answer this question, Michael Levites of JurisQ.com spoke with Stephen Zeliensky, of counsel to Herbert Lawrence’s law office in New Jersey, which specializes in personal injury and car accident cases. According to Zeliensky, “The insurance company is required to provide you with insurance coverage provided you pay their premium and when you pay the premium, the insurance company has a contract you will be obliged to protect, act your interests when you are in a car accident or sustain some kind of loss, right? What they don’t tell you, however, is that they will investigate every aspect of your claim.”
In other words, while your insurance company may promise to have your best interests at heart, they’re also looking out for their own bottom line. Insurance companies often aim to settle personal injury claims as quickly as possible in order to pay out as little as possible to the injured party. This is where a personal injury attorney comes in.
The Role of Attorneys in Protecting Clients’ Rights
As Zeliensky explains, “Our job is to make sure that our clients’ rights are protected, and that the responsible party is accepting responsibility for that, and that flows over to their insurance carriers. Most of the time, there is an insurance company involved, sometimes they don’t have insurance. But when there’s an insurance company involved, our obligation as lawyers is to make sure that our clients are entitled and get paid what they are entitled to under the laws of the state of New Jersey, which includes their rights to compensation for the careless or negligent acts of the other party.”
The Importance of Hiring a Knowledgeable Attorney
Personal injury attorneys are experts in the laws and regulations surrounding personal injury claims. They know what you’re entitled to and will work to ensure that you receive fair compensation for your damages. They can also help you navigate the legal system, which can be overwhelming and confusing for those who are not familiar with it.
Another advantage of hiring a personal injury attorney is that they can take on the burden of dealing with insurance companies, freeing you up to focus on your recovery. “We know the rules, there’s a lot of rules that are involved in making a claim and pressing a claim before the case goes into suit. But even after that, if we can’t settle the case, we don’t hesitate about going to the courts, and having a judge or a jury, listen to the facts, and get into a trial where we will settle or get a verdict for our victims, the clients,” says Zeliensky.
Following Medical Instructions and Obtaining Reports
Personal injury attorneys are not just looking out for your immediate needs, either. They understand that the effects of an accident can last for years, and will work to ensure that you receive compensation not just for your immediate medical bills and damages, but for any ongoing medical care you may need as well. “It’s important for the client, when they hire an attorney to follow their instructions about keeping the doctors that they’re being treated with advised and appreciated that they need the treatment. And the doctors will in fact treat them. And we will get reports that we submit to the jury at the time of trial to settle the case,” says Zeliensky.
Conclusion: Why Hire an Attorney?
In conclusion, hiring a personal injury attorney is crucial in ensuring that your rights are protected, and you receive the compensation you deserve after an accident. While some people may think they can handle the insurance company on their own, they often find themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with the complex legal and insurance systems. Personal injury attorneys have the expertise and experience to navigate these systems and ensure that you receive a fair settlement or verdict.