All personal injury cases are charged in the same way. It is called a contingency fee agreement. This means that the lawyer is paid a percentage of the money that is recovered for you. This percentage is one-third for most claims and 25 percent for claims against a state or government agency. You never have to put any money down and make payments. If no money is recovered, then you do not owe your lawyers anything. This makes the hiring of a lawyer no risk to you.

Very few cases end in a personal injury lawsuit. Lawsuits are expensive and take a long time. If your case can be settled reasonably without a lawsuit, that is generally the best tactic. But we cannot control the decision of the insurance companies. Some companies have begun to use a strategy where they make lowball offers in every case to weed out the people who are not willing to file suit. Sometimes, there is confusion within the insurance company and they don’t handle a claim properly. Sometimes, especially with high-value cases, they want to make sure the claim is worth paying before they settle.

Again, these situations are rare and out of our control. While we are aggressive and ready to take the claim to court, that is a decision that you, as the client, ultimately control. You will always have decision-making authority over anything that we do. All of our decisions are made together as a team.

No. Because you only pay your personal injury attorney if you recover money, there is no risk to starting a claim. If your claim involved an auto accident, you don’t have to worry about your rates going up if you were not at fault. Therefore, it is always in your best interest to hire a lawyer and set up a claim. Your medical expenses need to be paid by someone, right? If you do not want to pursue it later on down the road, you can always withdraw the claim at no penalty.

The first few days after an accident are the most important. You should see a doctor immediately to begin treatment for your injuries. Even if you do not go straight to the ER, go to an urgent care clinic or see your regular doctor as soon as possible. Any delay in treatment will indicate to an insurance company that you were not that seriously hurt.

Your next step should be to call Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas. If you need a referral to a doctor who is a specialist with these types of accidents, we know everyone in the area. We can send you to facilities that are close by and that will provide you with excellent medical treatment. But the bottom line is that treatment needs to start immediately, and you will need to follow your doctor’s advice. We, as your personal injury lawyers, will start the insurance claim and handle the insurance company while you get better.