If you have been injured in an accident caused by a property owner’s or business’ negligence, you could suffer devastating injuries, such as spinal and neck injuries, paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and serious fractures. You could incur expensive medical bills and be off work for months or longer—if you are not permanently disabled. You need to hold the negligent property owner or business accountable for compensating you, but may not know where to turn to do so. Hiring an experienced premises liability attorney is an essential first step that you want to take to improve the chances of recovering the compensation you deserve.
Why Hiring an Experienced Lawyer Is Essential in Your Premises Liability Case
While you want to hire an attorney in almost any personal injury case, retaining an attorney in a premises liability case is especially important. It can be harder to prove the property owner’s or business’ fault in a slip and fall, swimming pool, or other premises liability accident. In addition, these owners and their insurance companies will rarely admit any responsibility for compensating you or will offer you a settlement far less than what you are entitled to.
Retaining an attorney will let the insurance adjuster know that you are serious about your claim and receiving the amount that you are entitled to. In addition, an attorney can help you in many ways to build a strong case—which can be essential in achieving a good outcome for your claim. Some of the ways an attorney can assist you include:
- Investigate your claim. An experienced attorney will thoroughly investigate your accident. This can include obtaining copies of your accident report, photographs, medical reports, pay stubs, and business surveillance tapes that may have recorded your accident. In some cases, your attorney may view the accident scene or hire an expert to do so. Investigating your claim and collecting evidence is very important to prove the business’ or property owner’s negligence and the amount of your damages.
- Interview witnesses. Your attorney can interview witnesses and obtain their statements soon after your accident. If this is not done, witnesses could move away or their memories of your accident could fade. In addition, if an important witness does become hard to locate, your attorney may have ways to find him.
- Identify all responsible parties. In some premises liability cases, more than the business or property owner could be responsible for compensating you. Identifying all potential parties can increase the chances that you will receive a full settlement. When an attorney is investigating your case, he will be able to spot all the parties who could be responsible for your injuries—and pursue your claim with them.
- Value your claim. An attorney who has handled many premises liability cases will understand what your claim is worth based on the strengths and weaknesses of your claim and his experience resolving similar cases.
- Hire expert witnesses. In most premises liability cases, an expert witness—such as your treating physician or other doctor—will need to be hired to prove the extent of your injuries. You could also need other experts, such as an accident reconstruction expert, flooring expert, vocational rehabilitation therapist, or economic expert to prove liability and the amount of compensation you are owed. An attorney should have a network of qualified experts he can turn to.
- Negotiate your settlement. An experienced lawyer will achieve a better outcome when negotiating your settlement than you can do on your own. He will anticipate the insurance adjuster’s arguments to try to deny or reduce your claim and have strategies to overcome these disputes. In addition, an adjuster will be more likely to be fair in settlement negotiations if your attorney has a reputation for taking cases to trial when settlement offers are too low.
- File a lawsuit. Sometimes even an experienced attorney is unable to resolve a claim through settlement negotiations. He can file a lawsuit for you before the statute of limitations for doing so expires if settlement negotiations are not productive.
Let Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC Help You in Your Premises Liability Case
If you were injured in a premises liability case, let Brauns Law Accident Injury Lawyers, PC assist you in obtaining the compensation you deserve. David Brauns began his legal career representing insurance companies and understands their techniques for denying claims or paying less than what the victim deserves. This has helped him develop strategies to ensure that his clients receive the settlements they are entitled to. If necessary, he is not afraid to take a case to trial when the insurance company is being unreasonable. Fill out our online form or call our office today to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation with David Brauns to learn why he’s the right attorney for you.
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