A car accident lawyer is not one who is usually bound to representing those involved in a car accident. The repercussions of a car accident could branch out far and wide. The victim of a car accident often needs representation in a personal injury case as a result of the accident, or, depending upon the injuries sustained, even a brain injury lawyer could be necessary. These are just a couple of examples of types of legal representation that could be called for in a car accident case.
A car accident lawyer is often licensed to practice as a personal injury lawyer. This will include such cases as injuries resulting from car accidents, medical mistakes, defective products, and slip and fall accidents. Most cases that personal injury lawyers handle will settle out of court. When a case does go to court, a car accident lawyer, or personal injury lawyer is also considered to be a trial lawyer.
Before cellphones came into the picture, there were more than enough traffic accidents as a result of many different causes. Cellphones and other electronic devices have now become another on the long list of possibilities of car accident explanations. Statistics show that during daylight hours alone, about 660,000 people are driving while manipulating their cellphones. That is 660,000 every single minute.
Another common reason for car accidents remains drunk drivers, or drivers under the influence of some type of drug that impairs their senses. It is estimated that someone is injured in a drunk driving accident every two minutes. A surprising statistic is that on average a person will drive drunk up to 80 times before he or she is stopped and arrested. These are the types of situations that a car accident lawyer will deal with on a daily basis.
Other very common causes of accidents are work related. There are workers compensation laws in place for every workplace, not only the ones where workers are put into precarious positions each day in order to do their jobs. Workers compensation will agree to pay 100% of medical costs to the victim of a work related accident, as well as cash benefits to cover time lost from the job. There is, however, a three to seven day delay before benefits are paid. Too often, employees do need the services of an attorney for a workers compensation claim to assist them in receiving the benefits they are entitled to.
A workers compensation attorney will represent clients who are victims of work related accidents. Some of the benefits the client could be entitled to are permanent total disability, permanent partial disability, pay reimbursement, medical benefits, vocational rehabilitation, and more. Some of the services a workers comp lawyer will provide to his or her clients would be to gather all documentation from doctors treating the victim, to perform legal research and keep up on all laws that would be pertinent to the case, drafting legal documents, and taking depositions from the client, from medical personnel, and others.
A workers comp attorney needs certain abilities and qualifications. He or she must have a clear knowledge of all laws and procedures to do with workers compensation, and excellent negotiating abilities which will be necessary in order to achieve the best outcome for the client. The attorney must be easily able to work in a team environment as well as independently. He or she needs to have an understanding of all matters that could be involved in a workers comp case; engineering, construction, and medical to name a few. Both oral and verbal communications must be top notch, and there must be a strong capacity to juggle deadlines and priorities without a hitch.
Workers compensation cases will also cover slip and fall accidents that occur in the workplace. Most people tend to believe that accidents are more likely to happen in a work environment where heights are involved, where workers have to wear hard hats, and where heavy equipment is operated. However, there are an unlimited number of incidents that occur every day in a typical office, or retail location. Just a small bit of water, unseen on the floor, can cause a fracture or a back injury or worse. The truth is, you just never know.