Tackling 5 Common Misconceptions About Personal Injury Law

Given how they’re portrayed in the news media and fiction, personal injury claims are possibly one of the most misunderstood aspects of the legal system. That could pose a serious issue, particularly if you don’t have a personal injury lawyer accident and you base some of your legal judgments on this incorrect information. Let’s address some of the most widespread misconceptions individuals have about personal injury law to assist you in getting back on course:
If someone intentionally hurt you, a criminal investigation should likely be conducted. A personal injury attorney needs to show that someone had a duty to protect you and that their activity or omission resulted in your harm to succeed in a civil personal injury lawsuit; you don’t need to show that they did it on purpose.

It would help if you didn’t approach a personal injury case with the expectation of winning big. Settlements or damage awards are tailored to your needs, mostly paying for medical expenses and lost wages sustained from your accident bodily injury claim.
People occasionally believe they should receive some form of assurance when hiring a personal injury attorney. Sometimes, even the best personal injury lawyer representing the best legal companies will lose an accident case law. The legal system operates in just that way.

Personal injury cases are perhaps one of the most misunderstood areas of the legal system, for all they’re represented both in the news media and in fiction. That can be a real problem — especially if you’re relying on some of that misinformation when it comes to your own legal decision-making. To help get you back on the right track, let’s tackle some of the most pervasive misunderstandings people have about personal injury law:

1. It’s Only Personal Injury If They Tried to Hurt YouIf someone intended to hurt you, then that’s probably something that should be pursued via a criminal case. For a civil personal injury lawsuit, you don’t need to prove that someone hurt you on purpose; only that they had a duty to protect you and that their action or inaction caused you to get hurt.
2. A Personal Injury Lawsuit Always Pays Out a LotYou shouldn’t head into a personal injury lawsuit thinking of it as a windfall. In most cases, settlements or damage awards are scaled to your needs, which will consist mostly of covering medical bills and lost wages.
3. Hiring the Best Law Firms Guarantees That You’ll WinWhen people go to hire an attorney for personal injury, they sometimes think that they should get some sort of guarantee. But even the best personal injury attorney working for the best law firms will still lose cases sometimes. That’s just the way the legal system is.
4. Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit Means Going to CourtVery few personal injury cases — around 2%, some day — actual end up going to trial. It’s far more likely you’ll negotiate a settlement before anyone ends up in court.
5. Personal Injury Lawsuits Are Normally Settled QuicklyJust because you are unlikely to see a long trial process doesn’t mean personal injury lawsuits are always quick. You can hope that it will all be settled in a few weeks, and some cases are, but you should be prepared for a longer negotiation process.

What other misconceptions do people have about personal injury lawsuits? Share your thoughts in the comments.