Personal Injury Lawsuits Myths
Everyday thousands of people are injured—some suffering serious, long-term injuries. If you’re injured because of someone’s negligence or fault, you should seek compensation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Philadelphia, PA, such as the ones available to you at Wieand Law Firm LLC.
You may be compensated for the injuries you sustained, including medical bills or lost wages, you should look into myths about this type of lawsuit before filing—especially if you’re inclined to believe everything you hear. You don’t want to go into court with misconceived notions about what you should win; or how you’ll be perceived.
The first myth that we’re going to touch on is the idea that personal injury claims are “easy money”. You can be compensated for medical costs in the past, present or the future, you can be compensated for wages lost due to your injury, you can even be compensated for physical and mental pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life.
But that does not mean this is “easy money”. Some of these compensated sums are fixed costs, such as your past or current medical bills, or lost wages. Some of it, you’ve already paid out of pocket and no longer access anymore—so in a way, you’re being paid back. You won’t be paid a paycheck because you were injured, or be paid contemporaneously because of your injury. Your case is unique, the amount that may be returned to you will also be unique. It depends on the facts of the case.
The second myth is that you can file a personal injury claim at any given time. In reality, you have a preset or limited time in which to file a personal injury claim. It varies by state, so look at your state laws and talk to a lawyer in your area to further understand this myth.
The third myth is that the at-fault driver in your car accident should be paying your medical bills as they are incurred. This is untrue! As medical bills are accumulated, you pay out of pocket, or your health insurer—even your auto insurance—will pay until there is a settlement reached with the other party or the trial resolves in your favor. The other party is not required to pay you anything until you have agreed to settlement terms or the court has entered a judgment.
The fourth myth states that you are “guaranteed” compensation because you are a plaintiff. This is not true. Just because you’re injured doesn’t mean the case is going to end favorably for you. There are a lot of individual people who are injured legitimately and never receive compensation—every case is different and the amount of compensation, if there is any, is based on the characteristics of that case. There is no guarantee.
The fifth most common myth regarding personal injury lawsuits is that these claims will resolve quickly. A personal injury claim doesn’t resolve quickly—it does vary, so some may end quicker than others, others may go to court and drag out for ages.