Personal injury is often thought of as happening in a vehicle mishap. Although many are, any accident where there is personal injury in Iowa City, IA, and that injury was caused by negligence, can be litigated. It can be as simple as walking down the street and tripping over a piece of broken pavement, in this case, the local authorities are guilty of negligence. Perhaps you get injured at work because a machine guard is missing; this is negligence on behalf of the employer. There are many things that can happen to an individual, and the only common denominator that needs to be visible is negligence and there is a case.
Personal injury can be devastating; it can be far more than just the injuries that are the result of the accident. You may be totally disabled, never to work again and attend to the needs of your family. You may suffer serious injuries and become vegetative, becoming a lifelong burden on your survivors. These are only a few of the things that can happen, although they are among the worst. In many cases, there is pain and suffering during the course of treatment and rehabilitation that need to be compensated for.
What to do:
When there is an injury there is another party involved one way or another. If the personal injury in Iowa City, IA is the result of a car accident, there is the other driver. If the accident is work related there is the employer. There is always another party. These parties are all insured and if they realize that are liable for negligence, they will immediately attempt to settle. You can expect the adjuster from the insurance company to visit your bed-side and make an offer, which, if you accept will take them off the hook for any further action.
Knowing this, to protect yourself; do not entertain anyone who represents the interests of the negligent party. The first thing you need to do is hire a lawyer who takes personal injury cases. Once you have a lawyer, you can provide him with all background information as it pertains to the accident and let him take it from there. If he feels you have a valid case, he will set about gathering evidence. He will go to the scene of the accident, attempt to interview witnesses and get copies of any police reports.
Armed with this information, and a full understanding of your medical prognosis, the lawyer will approach the negligent party and demand a settlement. If the other party refuses then the attorney will take the case to court. In most cases where personal injury in Iowa City, IA can be proven to be the result of negligence, the case will be settled out of court.
