The injured victim of an accident might have a certain figure in mind, when submitting a personal injury claim. Yet, if that same victim were to consult with a lawyer, the lawyer’s estimate of the case’s value could be far different from the victim’s estimate.
The consulted attorney would want to know the full extent of the damages
What were the economic damages, the total for the medical expenses and the loss of income?
What were the non-economic damages, the discomforts associated with the victim’s pain and suffering? Had those been made obvious by the plaintiff’s scheduled visits to a treating physician? Had the plaintiff kept a record of the length and frequency for each of the recurring painful sensations?
Does it look as though a judge would have reason to award punitive damages? Had the defendant carried out some form of egregious behavior, when inflicting harm on the plaintiff?
How much money would be available, as payment of damages?
• How much money would the insurance company have to work with?
• What were the limits on the defendant’s insurance policy?
• In the past, what have juries awarded to plaintiffs with similar cases?
• Had the defendant been uninsured or underinsured? Had the potential client invested in either the uninsured motorist option or the underinsured motorist option?
How well did the plaintiff make use of the claims process?
Had the claimant-lawyer team sent a demand letter to the defendant’s insurance company?
Had that same insurance company agreed to take part in negotiations? If it had refused to take part in negotiations, the personal injury lawyer in Bedford would want to know why. Was there some weakness in the potential client’s case that the would-be client had failed to mention?
During what stage of the claims process had the possible client consulted with an injury lawyer in New Glasgow?
Had the consultations begun within the 24-hour period that followed the accident?
Had a roadblock to continuing negotiations emerged, forcing the client/victim to seek an attorney’s assistance? That could signal the existence of just a short amount of time, until the deadline for filing a complaint, as the first step towards pursuit of a personal injury claim.
Sometimes those clients that feel forced to hire a lawyer lack a familiarity with the claims process. That can create problems, for the lawyer-client relationship. The client might not realize the full extent of his or her rights.
It could also be a problem, if the client were to assume possession of rights that he/she did not have. For instance, a client might think that the insurance company had no good reason for declaring a damaged auto to be totaled. In fact, claimants could question that move, after displaying pictures of an accessorized vehicle.
