If you’ve been injured, your primary focus should be on healing. But with medical bills and other expenses piling up, it can be a stressful time. Fortunately, a personal injury attorney can step in to ease your burden. Not every injury, however, leads to a valid claim, and it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether you should consult a lawyer. Here are five questions you can ask yourself to help decide if you should seek legal counsel.
- Were you injured?
It can be easy to write off some injuries that may seem minor shortly after a crash or other incident. If you don’t see visible cuts or bruises, or if the x-ray shows no broken bones, you might think there’s nothing wrong.
But some injuries take time to show symptoms. Neck and back pain can gradually increase in the days and weeks following the incident, and headaches may slowly become more intense or long-lasting if left untreated.
An “injury” isn’t always just physical, either. Anxiety, depression, and other invisible injuries, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or brain damage, can also require medical care and lead to significant costs.
That’s why it’s critical to see a doctor after an injury. They can determine the right course of treatment to help your symptoms remain manageable and improve. They may also be able to refer you to a personal injury attorney if your case appears to be a strong claim.
- Was someone else negligent or careless?
How your injury happened plays a crucial role in whether you have a viable claim. Consider whether your injury could have been avoided if someone else had been more responsible. Negligence means another person failed to exercise reasonable care, and if that failure, such as running a red light, leaving a wet floor without a warning sign, or ignoring a dangerous condition, led to your injury, you may have a claim.
- Can you connect your injury to the incident?
A successful personal injury claim must directly tie the incident to your injury. For example, if you were involved in a rear-end collision and the airbag caused a head injury, the injury clearly resulted from the crash.
This is why seeking medical treatment right away is vital to your case’s success. A medical report establishes the connection between the injury and the incident, and your attorney can use it later when advocating on your behalf.
- Did the injury cost you something?
Injuries can be expensive. Medical bills, car repairs, lost wages, and other unforeseen costs add up quickly. If you’ve had to spend money on medical treatment or missed work because of your injury, it has already cost you. Even changes to your daily life, such as being unable to perform household tasks, enjoy recreational activities, or cope without ongoing pain, may count as compensable losses.
Many people pursue personal injury claims to recover some of these costs. If you’ve had to spend money or lost time due to your injury, that may be an indicator of a possible claim.
- Did the incident happen recently?
There’s a ticking clock on your personal injury case. In Minnesota, the statute of limitations, the legal deadline by which you must take action, is generally two years from the date of the injury, with some exceptions. It’s best to act early, even if you’re unsure. If you wait too long to pursue legal action, your case could be dismissed.
While these questions can help guide you, the best way to determine whether you have a claim is to seek legal advice from a personal injury attorney. At Betz & Port, we offer free consultations and would be happy to discuss your unique situation. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to give us a call.