Accidents are an unfortunate fact of life. No matter how careful you are in your own actions, you cannot always prevent the carelessness of others. Whether you were involved in an automobile accident, slip-and-fall accident, medical malpractice, or have suffered injury in any other context, suffering personal injury is always a disorienting, traumatizing experience—even if it may not always go the way you expect. Some injuries have lifelong effects that can go unnoticed for quite some time before they make their presence known. This makes it vitally important to seek out medical attention immediately after an accident.

In any case, getting your life back together after a personal injury is a difficult process. You need to make sure things are in order, ensure that you are no longer in any critical danger, and go about restoring anything that was disrupted as a result of your accident. You may not believe your injury is significant enough to seek out the help of a personal injury attorney. However, not all life-disrupting injuries make themselves known in obvious ways. Once you have suffered damages to your person and/or your property, it is important that you know the next steps to take. If you find yourself experiencing significant mental, emotional, physical, or financial distress, you may be entitled to seek out legal assistance and collect damages.

Any Injury Has the Potential to Be Life-Disrupting

Unfortunately, many victims of more “minor” seeming accidents mistakenly believe their injuries are less serious than they actually are. They may believe that the pain they are suffering is manageable or will simply subside in due time. In reality, many types of personal injury simply get worse over time. Furthermore, any sort of injury that brings about significant emotional suffering, monetary losses, physical pain, loss of enjoyment of life, property damage, or medical expenses makes you eligible to seek out damages. You cannot wait to see whether or not these effects will go away; rather, you must act before your statute of limitations runs out. If you do not file in time, you may become indefinitely ineligible to seek out the compensation you are owed.

An essential first step to take after suffering from an injury is to seek out medical attention as soon as possible. Many injuries have the potential to be exacerbated later on or stay dormant for some time. A medical professional can help you determine whether or not you are at risk for further injury. You must also take care to document these injuries as thoroughly as possible. This includes taking photos of your injuries, jotting down notes about the accident, keeping copies of your medical records, and more.

Insurance May Not Be Enough

Because each payment to you comes out of their pocket, insurance companies will always want to minimize the settlement you receive. In certain circumstances, insurance companies may not actually pay for anything at all. You may mistakenly believe that your insurance company has your best interests in mind. Unfortunately, this is not entirely true. In fact, it is difficult to even fully assess the amount you are owed without the help of a legal professional. While many online valuation sites exist to offer you estimates of your damages, these services are not actually able to assess your case in real-time and take into consideration any fluctuating factors. Seeking out legal help may be able to maximize your chances of claiming the full damages you are owed.

Furthermore, as of now, in the United States, there are twelve states that subscribe to no-fault auto insurance laws. This means that the injured party will almost always end up seeking reimbursement from their own insurance company rather than the other party. While there are some exceptions to this, this is generally a rule you can rely on.

If you are in a no-fault state, you may be able to build up your best possible case by keeping the following in mind: you may be able to pursue a claim against the other party’s insurance policy if you know for a fact that they were at fault for the accident. This applies whether the other party’s fault has been officially declared in police reports or whether it is indicated by the circumstances of the accident. However, you may need to meet certain requirements in order to do so. A seasoned personal injury lawyer can help you determine whether or not this is the case.

Seeking Legal Assistance

Unfortunately, even the most prudent of individuals will eventually be involved in accidents at one time or another. This may lead to significant, life-disrupting personal injury. Dealing with a personal injury of any kind can be incredibly stressful. Not only do you have to work to maintain your quality of life and get your affairs back in order, but you also have to figure out what to do in order to restore any hits taken to your physical, emotional, financial, or mental health. It may even include taking steps to restore your property.

There is no reason for you to go through all this alone. A good personal injury attorney can act as your liaison between the insurance company, help you fully understand your settlement options, take your court to litigation, and get you the earnings you deserve. They can even help you if you are not sure who was at fault for the accident or if there are inadequate police and/or accident reports.

We at Injury Victim Law work hard to put our clients first. Although we are a Colorado-based firm, we are a group of nationwide personal injury attorneys dedicated to fighting for the rights of victims all over the United States. Our team of experts and investigators are here to fight for you and your rights, no matter the context in which your personal injury occurred. If you or a loved one have recently been the victim of personal injury, we are here to help. Contact us today to schedule an initial consultation with one of our qualified lawyers.