If you get injured as a result of another person or their actions, you have a legal right to attempt to seek compensation for the pain you’ve suffered and the price of recovery. We call such cases personal injury claims.
As with much of the legal system, people tend to avoid filing personal injury claims due to imagined fears that the process is not worth their trouble. Understandably, the legal system can seem daunting or intimidating to those without experience working through it. While personal injury legal myths and stigmas exist, avoiding learning about the process and forgoing hiring an attorney for your case can hurt you financially.
Olsen Law Firm, P.A. has been helping Florida residents get just compensation for years, and we’ve encountered many personal injury legal myths that almost prevented some of our clients from reaching out in the first place. We want to use this blog post to help dispel some of these myths, giving people the knowledge and power to seek counsel.
Myth #1: Filing a Claim with Insurance Will Suffice
This personal injury legal myth keeps many people from seeking the compensation they may be entitled to in court. Filing a report through insurance is one of the first moves injured people make if they are medically able. We recommend waiting to file a personal injury report, as, in the moment, you may be too shaken up and may not yet know the full extent of the injuries sustained.
While insurance agents will talk to you empathetically, they are doing a job for their company’s profit, and they are not your friends. In most cases, insurance will avoid paying large claims when able to save money. Without the help of an attorney to coach you through the process, you may accidentally say things that the insurance company can use against you later to limit how much compensation you receive—if you get any at all.
Be careful, however, as many states have a statute of limitations that puts a time limit on the window in which you can seek compensation.
Myth #2: You Cannot Afford Personal Injury Representation
Many people operate under the assumption that hiring a lawyer is only for rich people. Part of this personal injury legal myth has a foundation in that hiring some types of lawyers will cost a fair amount. However, personal injury lawyers are virtually free for anyone to hire.
While you don’t actually get a lawyer at zero cost, most personal injury lawyers like us charge based on a contingency fee. This means that we only get paid if you win your case and receive money. Your lawyer will get paid a percentage of the amount you won.
So, yes, you don’t pay anything up front or out of pocket. You don’t have to pay contingency fee lawyers if you lose your case. Additionally, because it’s in our best interest as personal injury lawyers to win your case, you can rest assured that we’re working as hard as we can to win your case.
Myth #3: My Injuries Are Negligible or Would Not Qualify
People are too willing to dismiss “minor” injuries, but in many cases, small injuries can lead to significant issues down the line. Specific cerebral injuries take almost a week to present, and many people get overwhelmed by the shock or adrenaline of the moment, not thoroughly assessing the damage they’ve sustained.
Likewise, even minor injuries or the threat of an injury cost a lot to treat or sift out. You may need to undergo an MRI to see whether the accident damaged internal parts of your body in ways you couldn’t outwardly see. Going to physical therapy or treating underlying problems will cost even more—sometimes thousands of dollars.
Even with good insurance, minor injuries can still lead to deductibles and copays, leaving you stuck with part of the bill. Most families would struggle to pay an extra couple thousand dollars out of the blue. With representation in court, however, you don’t have much to lose, fiscally speaking, and you stand to gain a lot if your case is buildable.
Myth #4: Hiring a Lawyer Requires Too Much Effort
Perhaps fighting on your own for compensation would be difficult. But this personal injury legal myth forgets that people hire lawyers to make the process more streamlined and feasible.
If you hire us as your legal attorneys, we will work alongside you to explain your options, build your case, and take care of all the paperwork. As long as you cooperate, signing documents we need you to, you really don’t have to do much work on your own. Sometimes, you won’t even have to show up in court.
Call us today for a free initial consultation and learn more about how we can investigate your case for you.
Myth #5: Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit Will Make Me Greedy
This personal injury legal myth could not be further from the truth. It’s upsetting that people have built the narrative to make those seeking fair compensation seem like enemies. In many cases, building a case might be the only way someone can pay off their injuries, especially if they need to take unpaid time off work.
Regardless of media-generated stereotypes, it’s simply not fair for you to front the bill when someone else unjustly injured you. That’s part of the reason we founded Olsen Law Firm, P.A. in the first place: to attempt to bring compensation to those who cannot otherwise afford to care for their injuries.
Final Thoughts
Many more personal injury legal myths exist, but these are the ones we see the most (and the ones that prevent the most people from pursuing a case).
Have you recently sustained an injury at the fault of another person? now is the right time to seek help. Contact Pam Olsen, Esq. today for free consultation at (352) 671-9777. Or if you prefer, you can complete this simple contact form and she will be in touch right away. We’ll give you a better sense of if your case is buildable or not, and we’ll advise you through every step of the process.