The Personal Injury Process

There are many questions you must consider and important decisions to make following a serious accident. The two most prominent decisions people must make immediately following an accident are determining what type of medical care they need–both long and short term-and whether or not they can return to their job. While insurance adjusters and other corporate representatives may pressure you to make these decisions quickly, not giving enough thought to these important questions can result in an outcome that is not best for you and your family’s long-term interests. Without effective and experienced legal representation, you may lose out on income that you or your loved one would have earned if not for the accident.

While it can be hard to know where to begin, Antonoplos & Associates Washington, D.C. personal injury attorneys are here to help you recover and strive to keep you informed about the legal process along the way. Below are the four most important steps you should take before attempting to recover damages from a personal injury.

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The Steps to Take Immediately After an Accident

How you react immediately after an accident will play a significant role in your ability to recover damages and your claim overall. For example, you will have to choose what medical attention you or your loved one will receive, notifying and documenting the accident with law enforcement, and how you react to the party that caused the accident. By enlisting our group of Washington, D.C. personal injury attorneys, we will explain your rights, responsibilities, and how to best handle each aspect of your recovery.

The Personal Injury Claim Process

Our firm understands that most people have no experience with personal injury claims. Thus, people are not always aware that they can bring personal injury claims against businesses, individuals, governments, and hospitals. Further, in most cases, large insurance companies that have little interest in making the injured individual whole again are the ones pursuing the claims. To complicate matters more, complex details, paperwork, and unknown obstacles make up a large part of the personal injury process. With two decades of experience, our attorneys understand these issues and work to make the personal injury claim process as simple as possible.

Personal Injury Settlements

There is a common misconception that personal injury lawyers spend the majority of their days in courtrooms. In reality, most personal injury cases settle out of court. To reach a personal injury settlement, each party involved in the dispute must waive their rights to a trial in favor of a monetary award. In some cases, settling before your case has the opportunity to get to court may be in your best interest. However, you should be cautious about settling too early as many insurance companies offer settlements early in the process to lessen the amount of money you can receive.

If the insurance company you are working with offers you a settlement extremely early in the process, it is a good idea to contact an experienced lawyer who will be able to evaluate your injuries and options. This includes considering you and your family’s current and future needs, including pain, suffering, your ability to work, and potential medical care. After these initial considerations, our firm will help you receive the compensation that will fit your individual needs.

Personal Injury Lawsuits

Personal injury lawsuits can be complex, contentious, and extremely stressful. Additionally, the personal injury timeline is difficult to gauge as one kind of case may only take a few weeks to work through while other types of cases can take years to resolve. While settlements are typically a good idea, a personal injury lawsuit may be necessary to receive the compensation you and your loved ones not only need but deserve.

Like any other lawsuit, a personal injury suit begins with the filing of a complaint. The complaint states your case and legal arguments in support of your claim. After the court receives this document, they will submit their counterargument. The next step is the discovery phase where both parties collect and share relevant evidence pertaining to the case. This phase involves taking depositions, consulting with relevant experts, and developing a complete view of the facts. If the parties cannot agree on a settlement in the discovery phase, the case will head to trial.

While the personal injury lawsuit process is complex and highly demanding, our Washington D.C. personal injury lawyers prepare as if each case will end up requiring a trial. Not only does this preparation allow our attorneys to gain a full view of the case, but it also put an immense amount of pressure on the insurance companies to negotiate a settlement that meets your needs. At Antonoplos & Associates, our attorneys have the knowledge, skills, and resources to handle anything insurance companies throw your way and are only interested in outcomes that set you on the road to a complete recovery.