The modern road can be a dangerous place, even for the most careful and sensible of drivers. Americans are often at risk for injury or crashes on the road, especially with the proliferation of drunk or distracted drivers. A DWI driver can be a serious hazard and cause a high-speed collision, and drivers (especially younger ones) who focus their attention on smart phones instead of the road, and they, too, can cause a crash. In fact, every year, about 2.35 million Americans are injured or disabled in car crashes, and among them in the U.S., around 8,000 people are killed in car accidents, aged 16 through 20. Injury can occur elsewhere: the workplace, for example, and sometimes, tragically, people die at the scene of the accident or later at the hospital. Annually, between 44,000 and 98,000 Americans die in hospitals because of preventable medical errors, and in 2017, 146,571 people died in accidental injury. But despite these grim statistics, a personal injury lawyer can assist a victim with the legal proceedings that come afterwards, and for the deceased, wills and trusts can be handled by a specialized attorney. Being hurt in an accident does not have to be the end.
An Attorney for Injury
According to McCormick and Murphy, right after an accident, an injured victim has several steps to take and options to consider for an attorney. For one thing, the victim may be emotionally charge and unstable, and may not be objective or clear-headed about the incident and the injuries sustained, but an attorney is an objective and level-headed professional who can handle legal matters going forward. Also, if the victim sustained permanent injury or suffered injuries that may prevent them from doing work, the long-term financial implications may be difficult to calculate and predict after being hurt in an accident, but the lawyer can handle that and find the right compensation.
After someone was hurt in an accident, multiple parties may be blamed for what happened, and distributing settlement money and assigning blame can become tricky and complicated, something that the victim may not be ready to handle alone. On top of that, if the at-fault party’s insurance company acts in bad faith, the accident lawyer knows how to handle that, unlike the victim, and can make sure that the proper settlement is reached. For hiring such a lawyer, a victim should research a personal injury lawyer, or several, and find someone he or she can trust and feel comfortable working with.
Managing a Will
Being hurt in an accident is not the only reason to need legal help. A person may want a lawyer to design and implement a proper will, and if that person has none, the surviving family may need to leave legal matters to a lawyer make sure that the deceased person’s money and assets are distributed fairly and sensibly. According to Nolo, there are several reasons why a person may want a lawyer for drawing up a will. For one thing, a lawyer can help protect the deceased person’s will itself if other parties accuse them of fraud or being not of sound mind when writing it. Also, if the person’s estate is very large, it may be subject to estate tax, and a lawyer can help handle that. Leaving a house in the trust of the surviving spouse, then passing it on to related adult children upon that spouse’s death, can be complicated and may require an attorney’s assistance. Business owners may need help with their business assets, and if intending to disinherit a spouse, the will’s writer can get legal help.