The effects of a serious injury to your brain may be devastating to your health and wellbeing. There can also be ongoing financial damage due to the long recovery period, hospital and medical bills, and missed work, even after minor brain damage.
The circumstances surrounding your brain injury may allow you to seek compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and assistance to live as normally as possible post-injury.
If another party's reckless, negligent, or willful conduct led to your injury-causing accident, you could also be entitled to money for non-economic damages. In this case, it is essential to consult an attorney who has experience in this field.
What is a Brain Injury Lawyer?
Brain injury lawyers specialize in representing victims who have suffered a brain injury due to an accident. Typically, these attorneys represent people who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), which results in severe, life-changing injuries.
It is also possible for brain injury attorneys to offer legal advice or represent clients who have mild traumatic brain injuries or concussions, depending on the circumstances.
What Does a Brain Injury Attorney Do?
Car accidents, slip and fall accidents, boating accidents, medical accidents, and other kinds of accidents are the most common causes of brain injuries. The best brain injury lawyer near you is uniquely qualified to help people who have suffered traumatic, life-changing injuries due to an accident.
You may be entitled to a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced lawyer inbrain injury if you've suffered any kind of brain injury due to another party's negligence.
When Should You Hire a Brain Injury Lawyer?
If your head injury caused you to have significant medical bills or negatively affected your life, you likely need to hire a lawyer for brain injury near you. If you are experiencing any of the following, you should contact a brain injury attorney for a consultation.
- You suffered a long-term memory loss, personality change, or headache as a result of your injury.
- Your injury has now rendered you physically or mentially disabled.
- Your injury has had an emotional impact on you and your family.
- You had to undergo surgery and/or spend an extended period in the hospital.
- You required extensive physical therapy after your injury.
- Your injury now necessitates you have live-in assistance.
- Your injury has prevented you from working or has compromised your ability to perform your job adequately.
In addition to the consequences of the injury itself, consider the circumstances surrounding your accident. Was someone at fault? When you are injured, it can be difficult to determine who is to blame, since multiple factors may have contributed to your injury. In order to determine the parties responsible for the accident, a good personal injury lawyer will conduct a thorough investigation.
Here are a few examples of negligence that could result in concussions or other brain injuries:
- Distracted or drunk drivers
- Ice that was not cleared from sidewalks in a timely manner
- Conditions on somebody's property or in a store that makes it unsafe
- Coaches returning an injured player to the game too soon after an initial concussion
How Do I Choose a Brain Injury Attorney?
A personal injury solicitor should specialize in handling cases similar to yours, such as medical negligence, work accidents, and/or traffic accidents. The following steps will help you choose an injury lawyer:
1. Read Reviews and Recommendations
Families and friends are often able to recommend the best personal injury lawyers. Reading online reviews of different law firms is always recommended.
2. Check for Accreditations
Solicitors who have experience in the field of injuries will be accredited.
3. Demonstration of Expertise
Discover how the solicitor has helped their previous clients in similar situations by reading client testimonials and real-life case studies.
Check if the solicitors' website has statistics and figures demonstrating the settlement amounts awarded within a specific time frame and their success rate in settling injury-related cases.
4. Clarification of Terms of Service
To avoid surprises when settling your claim, be sure to understand the terms of service and the fees that your law firm will charge before engaging them. Read your client agreement carefully, and discuss anything you don't understand with the lawyer as soon as possible and ideally before officially engaging with the firm.
5. Payment Conditions
Ensure you understand the firm's terms and payment structure. Personal injury firms generally do not charge for their services unless you win your case and then take a percentage of the settlement as payment. However, it is important to understand how much of your final settlement will be deducted as fees.
How Much Does A Brain Injury Lawyer Cost?
An injury lawsuit can be expensive, especially if the injury is catastrophic. Personal injury lawyers, however, do not typically charge upfront or hourly fees. Rather, they work on contingency, meaning that their fee is a percentage of the final settlement.
Access to justice is made possible through this approach, regardless of the financial challenges clients may be facing.
How Much Do Lawyers Charge for Personal Injury Cases?
A lawyer's contingency fee usually ranges from 25-40% of the settlement after expenses are deducted, depending on their experience and location. On average, this equates to lawyers charging about 33% of the total settlement.
Contingency fees can also be negotiated. A lower contingency fee might be possible in a particularly clear-cut case.
Do Brain Injury Attorneys Usually Charge for Consultations?
Many personal injury lawyers charge you on a contingency basis, rather than charging you a retainer upfront. It is rare for a personal injury lawyer to charge for a consultation.
Lawyers who charge using a contingency fee structure do not take payment until the case has been resolved, meaning that the client benefits by avoiding a large initial financial burden. Better yet, your lawyer will not charge anything unless you win your case.
Additional Fees
Some professional law firms may cover additional fees associated with procuring medical records, having subpoenas delivered, court fees, police reports, and other document-related expenses. However, most firms will charge you for these expenses as well as expert witnesses and reporter fees, if they are applicable.
Conclusions
A brain injury may entitle you to compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and assistance to live a normal life post-injury. You may also be entitled to non-economic damages if someone else's reckless, negligent, or willful behavior caused your accident. For justice and proper compensation, it is paramount to consult a brain injury attorneys near you.
