2 Personal Injuries to Always Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in New York to Handle

Most people have handled an insurance claim or dispute at one time in their lives.  That may have been a dental bill or health insurance bill that was not properly entered, or a claim for a little property damage claim relating to your car or home.  Thus, naturally, many people believe that they can also handle a personal injury claim.  Unfortunately, that would be a huge mistake.  Even if you believe that you have not been seriously injured in a motor vehicle wreck, you may settling for less than you deserve.  Although there are absolutely times where it may be reasonable to try to handle a case yourself, there are 2 personal injuries to always hire a car accident lawyer in New York to handle for you.

Here at the O’Connor Law Firm, we understand the importance of helping victims and their families recover compensation for their personal injuries, lost wages, and medical bills.  We handle catastrophic, disabling, and fatal accident cases throughout the five boroughs, ensuring that victims and their families recover the compensation that they are entitled to under the law.  Our compassionate and experienced team of professionals will not let a defense lawyer or insurance adjuster undermine or undervalue your claim.  To earn more about how we can help you, call to schedule a FREE case evaluation with our experienced car accident lawyer in New York.

Top 2 Personal Injuries to Always Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in New York

There is nearly an endless number of potential personal injuries that a person may sustain in a motor vehicle accident.  Practically speaking, any injury should be handled by a personal injury lawyer.  That includes a broken bones, back pain, scarring, or any related injury of that nature. 

However, there are two personal injuries that a victim should never attempt to handle on their own.  This is because the top 2 personal injuries to always hire a car accident lawyer in New York are more complex, often are highly contested, and the future impact to you and your family can be significant if mishandled.

These two injuries are the following:

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Also known as a TBI, a traumatic brain injury is any type of injury to the brain which affects the way the brain functions.  The CDC reports that a brain injury could be caused by a jolt, bump, or impact to the head, or from a penetrating brain injury.  It is important to realize that a brain injury may also be caused when the head is not hit in an impact.  That means that a TBI could result when a person’s head does not hit anything in a motor vehicle accident – just the motion and whiplash movement could be sufficient to cause a brain injury.

There are several reasons why a victim with a TBI should never try to handle one without an experienced lawyer.  In fact, it should be obvious why this is one of the top two personal injuries to always hire a car accident lawyer in New York to handle for you. The reasons include the following:

• Defense lawyers and insurance adjusters vehemently defend TBI cases because they are often a “high-value” claim, meaning that a victim could recover a significant amount of compensation at trial
• TBI cases are much harder to prove because, unlike a broken bone, sometimes a TBI does not show up on an imaging study
• Most TBI cases require multiple medical experts to present testimony or affidavits to support the damages, both to prove the injury but also to prove the future impact of a TBI on a person’s daily life
• Other experts, including vocational, economic, life care planners, and other professionals are often needed to prove damages – especially future damages
• By their very nature, TBIs are debilitating and affect a person’s daily life, meaning that it will become much more difficult to handle your own TBI case with this injury – if not impossible
• Most TBI cases face significant motion practice, usually by the defendants trying to dismiss you case, obtain summary judgment over your claim, limit your experts or evidence, and use other motions to limit or make it more difficult for you to present your case at trial. Without a legal education and experience, handling a TBI case can be near impossible.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Also known as a SCI, spinal cord injury cases involve some type of damage to the spinal cord which results in an impairment.  Oftentimes that impairment is a form of paralysis, usually paraplegia or quadriplegia.  That impairment may be due to an incomplete spinal cord injury which allows some sensation or function, or in the case of a complete spinal cord injury, a victim could have no feeling or sensation.  Thus, for obvious reasons, SCI cases are significant.  This is why it is one of the top two personal injuries to always hire a car accident lawyer in New York to handle for you.

Insurance adjusters and defense lawyers know this, and will often aggressively defend these cases.  Although most SCIs can be established on an x-ray or imaging (unlike some TBIs), defendants will still try to argue that your injuries can be improved with physical therapy, occupational therapy, or other treatment options – even if it is a medical impossibility.

Therefore, the main reasons why to not try to handle a SCI injury case yourself include the following:

• These are high-value cases which the potential for significant compensation, which should be handled by an experienced personal injury lawyer who has handled these types of claims before
• Proving future damages is the hardest part of a SCI claim because, according to statistics, the future healthcare costs for a SCI could be over $5.1 million in the most severe cases
• In addition to the experts needed above for a TBI case, SCI cases also often require experts for home or vehicle modifications (i.e., ramps, wider door frames), future surgeries or procedures, nursing home/assisted living care, and other related quality of life care
• In addition to heavy motion practice like a TBI case, SCI incases are also difficult in that an individual may physically be unable to (or have significant difficulty) going to the courthouse or handling a claim. Defendants know that, and will often use this in a war of attrition against you.  Always have an advocate on your side like our car accident lawyer in New York.

Contact the O’Connor Law Firm for Help With Your Car Accident Injury Case

If you or a loved one suffered a catastrophic personal injury in a motor vehicle accident case, especially a TBI or SCI, call our experienced car accident lawyer in New York at the O’Connor Law Firm to schedule your FREE case evaluation.  We handle cases in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens, Long Island, and in surrounding areas. 

Although we know that most people would want to try to handle a claim on their own, and sometimes have been successful in doing so, some personal injuries like TBIs, SCIs, amputations, broken bones, and other injuries are just too severe and impactful to not have a lawyer handle for you.  Ensure that your rights to compensation are protected by calling us.  To learn more about your rights, call to schedule your FREE consultation with our compassionate and experienced personal injury team by dialing (718) 948-3500 or using our “Contact Us” box available here.