How To Hire A Personal Injury Attorney In Wisconsin

The truth is that any one of us can suffer a personal injury at any moment. Car accidents are among the most common causes of injury or wrongful death, with over 500 fatal crashes occurring per year in Wisconsin. Millions of other car accidents result in serious injuries that require medical attention in Milwaukee and other WI cities each year. Of course, injury victims can suffer from a wide range of events, including work-related accidents, fires, assaults, or even medical malpractice. These injuries can result in expensive medical bills, time out of work, and severe physical and emotional trauma. While you would hope your insurance company would come through following an accident, these companies don’t make money by actually paying out insurance claims. You might also suffer an injury due to the negligence or wrongdoing of a third party, and a lawsuit may be your only option for fair compensation.

If you need to file such a lawsuit, or you believe that you’ve had a claim unfairly denied by your insurance company, then you’ll need the help of the right personal injury attorneys in Wisconsin. These personal injury lawyers will fight for your rights and best interests throughout any personal injury case, whether it’s settled out of court or needs to go to trial. Here’s how you can go about hiring one.

Get Your Medical Needs Taken Care Of

You might not think that getting medical attention has anything to do with hiring your lawyer, but you may be surprised. Of course, you need to seek medical care right away following any injury for your own safety. This is especially true in the case of head injuries, as some traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) may not show symptoms immediately. The other reason you’ll want to get treatment immediately is that it helps prove that all your injuries came from the event you say they do. Your initial medical records will be important to any personal injury attorney, as they can help prevent a defendant from discrediting your claims.

You’ll need to take all medical recommendations seriously and attend any follow-up appointments as well. Keeping your medical records up to date proves that you’re doing your best to recover, and the pace of your recovery can be a significant factor in your case. When it’s time for your initial consultation, you’ll need to bring these records with you.

Collect All Relevant Evidence

Speaking of your free consultation, you’ll need to be able to convince an attorney that you have a good case. This is because injury lawyers generally accept contingency payments, meaning they’ll only be paid a percentage of your settlement if you win your case. This means that every injury case is a risk for them, so the more you can do to convince them your case is winnable, the more likely they are to accept.

You’ll need as much photographic or video evidence of the injury event as possible. Aside from your medical records, this includes police reports, security footage (you’ll only be able to tell a lawyer that it probably exists), recorded witness statements, and photographs of any physical injuries or property damage you suffered. Even though the statute of limitations to file an injury lawsuit is three years in Wisconsin, you’ll still want to do all of this sooner rather than later, so you’ll be one step closer to fair compensation.

Once you’ve gathered the appropriate materials, all that’s left to do is explore your legal options. If you have friends or family members who can refer you to a personal injury lawyer, great! You already have your best lead. Otherwise, you’ll want to pull a few local candidates from an online lawyer aggregate and prepare some interview questions for them. Never settle on a lawyer until you feel convinced that they understand and sympathize with your situation and that they can give you your best shot at the results you need.