Filing Austin Personal Injury Accident Claims Requires Legal Assistance

A person filing an Austin personal injury claim really needs the expertise of an attorney. This will ensure a fair settlement.

Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) July 23, 2010 – – Those who have been hurt in an accident have a variety of options to seek recompense for their injuries. The most frequently pursued avenue is filing a personal injury lawsuit asking for damages for their pain and suffering and even loss of wages from being off work. Filing claims needs to be done just the right way, or there is a real risk that the settlement offer will not be fair.

“Personal injury accident claims really do need to be filed by an experienced attorney, even if you think hiring one may be too expensive. Those that try handling claims on their own have not been terribly successful in obtaining a fair settlement, simply because the insurance companies will aim to keep the settlement low and/or deny it. Insurance companies are not your friends, and don’t make the mistake of chatting to them like they were. Anything you say to them may come back later in a manner that will surprise you,” explained Brooks Schuelke, an Austin personal injury attorney with Perlmutter & Schuelke LLP.

One thing that people need to remember about personal injury litigation is that attorneys tend to work on a contingency fee basis, which in a nutshell means if they win the case, they take a percentage of the settlement. If they lose the case, the plaintiff usually pays nothing, although some attorneys do bill for paperwork, photocopying, etc.

“The biggest advantage a car wreck victim has in hiring an Austin personal injury lawyer to handle their case, is the fact that the attorneys deal with the insurance company. The attorney knows precisely what to do and what say to get them to do right by you and your claim. That is why their experience is so invaluable when it comes to netting you a fair settlement,” added Schuelke.

“For those who are contemplating doing a claim on their own, if your injuries only seem to be minor and you settle for a low amount because that is all you think you will need, don’t be surprised if that minor neck injury turns out to be serious whiplash and disables you from working for a few months. If you have already settled your claim, you can’t reopen it and do it over. That means having to pay for any further expenses out of your own pocket,” Schuelke advised.

If that kind of scenario does happen, there has been no money saved by not hiring an attorney. In fact, there may be “more” spent on paying for extra medical bills; bills that could have been paid for with a fair and equitable settlement. Most injured people have no idea how to assess an injury’s economic worth. If they underestimate it or ignore it, they have potentially cheated themselves out of a lot of money and opened the door to physical problems down the road.

“You really should know that insurance companies will often send out adjusters who will swoop in and try to get you to settle early and settle low. They do this before you know the true extent of your injuries and know what legal rights you have. Unfortunately, many adjusters don’t explain the nature of the settlement they’re advocating the victim sign, and they are known to make misrepresentations about the victim being able to bring future claims,” clarified Austin personal injury lawyer Schuelke.

To learn more or to contact an Austin personal injury lawyer or Austin personal injury attorney, visit http://www.civtrial.com.

Perlmutter & Schuelke, LLP
1717 W. 6th Street, Suite 375
Austin, Texas 78703-4868
Call (512) 476-4944