If you had a heart problem, you would not seek out a physician that had been trained to deal with bone disorders. For the same reason, you should not hire a lawyer that specializes in benefit claims, when you intend to file a tort claim.
What is the different between a tort claim and a benefit claim?
Someone who has been injured in an accident will bring a tort claim against the party that was at fault.
Any car owner that has purchased automobile insurance and has become involved in a motor vehicle accident can seek accident benefits from his or her insurance company.
What types of accidents could lead to the filing of a tort claim?
If you got hit by another driver, you would have reason for filing such a claim. Unless you had been breaking the law, the other driver was apparently the one at fault. He or she would become a defendant.
If you fell on a slippery floor, you would join a list of plaintiffs, people that have filed fall-related claims. The store or building that had the wet floor could be blamed for causing that fall-related incident. The owner or manager could be found at-fault.
What money gets awarded to someone that files a lawsuit against the party at-fault?
The person that has filed that lawsuit (tort claim) would seek money to cover the cost of the expenses that arose, as a result of the accident-caused injury. That would include the medical expenses. It would also include any money lost, if the injured victim could not resume his or her normal job. The non-working employee would deserve to be compensated for any loss of wages.
The defendant’s insurance company might approach the plaintiff’s employer. Then the same insurance company would try to determine the cost of a retraining program, so that the injured victim could handle a new job. If the plaintiff has suffered a permanent disability, the defendant’s insurance company will be expected to cover the cost of attendant care, along with any housekeeping expenses.
What is different about a benefit’s claim?
In that case, the insurance company of the injured drivers pays the benefits, even if that same driver were to be held responsible for the injury-causing collision.
Why might someone decide to hire a lawyer, after filing for such benefits?
Personal Injury Lawyer in Bridgewater can help with completion of the volumes of paperwork. They have been trained to negotiate with the insurance company and can point to the strengths and weaknesses in a client’s case. An insurance company preys on the weakness, and uses it to fight for a lower settlement figure. That low figure might not cover all of the policy-holder’s costs.