Life can be completely unpredictable. For example, did you know there are over six million car accidents a year in the U.S. alone?
Furthermore, you can never control other people, their pets, or your environment. While you shouldn’t walk around terrified that something bad is going to happen to you, you must accept that there is always the possibility.
The question is, how do you handle situations like these? How do you know when to hire an attorney? What cases call for legal assistance?
We’re here to provide a little insight into your situation. Keep reading for some unexpected reasons you might need to hire an attorney. Even if your situation doesn’t fall into these categories, it should give you a better idea about your case.
1. You Were Injured in a Slip-and-Fall Accident on a Commercial Property
One of the most common personal injury claims is a result of slip-and-fall accidents. Slip-and-falls often cause significant bodily harm, such as head injuries, broken bones, cuts, scrapes, bruises, and more.
The question is, when do slip-and-fall cases call for legal assistance?
Generally speaking, you can pursue compensation for your injuries and expenses if your slip-and-fall was due to someone else’s negligence. For example:
- Slipping on a slippery floor that didn’t have a “wet floor/caution” sign
- Slipping on an icy sidewalk or stairs of a building that the owner neglected to de-ice
- Falling downstairs because the railing was loose, broken, or non-existent
- Tripping over an obstacle that was blocking a pathway
- And more
If you were injured in an accident like this, you shouldn’t be held liable for your own medical bills. Furthermore, the extent of your injuries could have life-altering consequences. You might need to take time off of work while you recover or lose your job entirely.
Additionally, you need to think about long-term expenses. These include ongoing medical bills, physical therapy appointments, emotional trauma, decreased quality of life, etc.
2. You Were Bitten by Your Neighbor’s Dog
Dog bites are another type of accident you might not expect, but will need legal assistance for. However, the circumstances of your attack will determine whether or not a lawyer can help you get compensation for your injuries.
Some things that will invalidate your claim include:
- If you were provoking the dog
- If you were trespassing
- If you were warned about the animal’s aggressive tendencies toward strangers but chose to approach them anyway
Obviously, if you share fault in being bitten, it will be difficult to sue the dog’s owner for damages. However, common cases that occur often involve unleased/loose dogs in the neighborhood, unprovoked attacks from a friend or neighbor’s dog while on their property, and attacks from pets that are allowed inside businesses.
3. You Were Swindled Into Buying a Lemon
Another example of when to hire an attorney is if you buy a lemon (car). There are certain lemon laws that protect the buyer from purchasing cars with hidden damages, issues, and mechanical problems.
Simple human decency implies that you should be able to return the vehicle for a full refund. However, the transaction can be quite complicated based on the contract you signed when purchasing the vehicle.
You need to sit down with an attorney to get a case evaluation to determine your rights. If you don’t know what kind of lawyer to hire for this type of case, there’s good news. You can find a lemon law lawyer who specializes in helping people like you who were taken advantage of by car sellers.
4. A Defective Product Caused Serious Injuries
If you were injured by a defective product, your next step should be to search for “an attorney near me.” Consumers are entitled to a level of safety and security when using commercial products. However, in order to successfully pursue compensation for you injuries and other expenses, certain factors must be present.
For example, if you were using the product in a way other than its intended purposes, the company can’t be held liable for your injuries. Additionally, products that are inherently dangerous (like power tools) come with a disclaimer, instructions on proper use, and safety warnings.
While these documents aren’t necessarily bulletproof, you will need legal assistance to get around them if you want to win your lawsuit against the company. Those documents were likely created by a legal team to protect the company in these types of situations.
5. Your Insurance Company Isn’t Covering You After a Car Accident
Car wrecks are some of the most traumatic incidents you can experience, especially when they result in serious injuries. However, your situation can be even more complicated (and frustrating) if the insurance company is being difficult to work with.
They might give you a settlement offer that’s way too low or refuse to cover your claim entirely. In either case, you must learn how to get legal assistance to ensure you get the compensation you deserve and need to move forward.
We recommend against taking the first settlement the insurance company offers. Though it may seem like a quick, easy win, the settlement is unlikely to cover the entirety of your expenses.
A car accident lawyer can help you understand all of your damages so you’ll be taken care of now and in the future.
6. You Were Misdiagnosed by Your Doctor
Finally, when you go to the doctor when you’re ill, you expect to get better, not worse. Unfortunately, that’s not always the way things work out. Sometimes, your illness is simply too aggressive.
However, in some cases, the medical professional makes a grave error, such as misdiagnosing your illness or disease. Based on their misdiagnosis, you might pursue unnecessary treatment, such as surgeries and specific types of medication.
Not only will your situation fail to improve, but it could get drastically worse because of their error. If this happens to you, you deserve financial compensation for your pain, suffering, expenses, and emotional trauma. Learn how to hire a lawyer who specialized in medical malpractice to get the restitution you’re entitled to.
Do You Need Legal Assistance?
If any of the examples listed above sound familiar (or similar) to what you’re going through, you need to find legal assistance immediately. The sooner you find an attorney to help you with your case, the more likely you are to successfully sue for damages. You’re not being selfish, you deserve to be taken care of.
And if you’re looking for more great tips and advice, check out some of our other articles before you go. Our blog is full of valuable content we’ve created to help readers like you.
