Debunking Myths About Personal Injury Lawyers

Did you ever hear the one about the really decent, honest Portland personal injury attorney?

Stop laughing! It can happen. A lot of myths have developed over the years about personal injury lawyers, and we’d like to cut through some of them, so please read on.

Let’s say you’ve been in a pretty bad car accident, and you’ve suffered an injury. People normally fall victim to five myths about personal injury attorneys that have been around as long as the insurance companies who perpetuate them. These people don’t contact a personal injury attorney, because they (erroneously) believe:

1. The insurance companies will treat them fairly. Now there’s a myth! Insurance companies make bigger profits by paying out as little as possible to those people who have put in a claim. If you’ve been injured in Oregon, a competent Portland personal injury attorney, who is used to dealing with insurance companies week in and week out, is far more likely to get you the settlement you deserve. We can’t say we guarantee a higher settlement, but statistically (according to studies by the Insurance Research Council) people who hire lawyers receive 3.5 times more money than those who don’t.

2. You must appear in court to receive compensation. A lot of people would be terrified at the thought of going into court, but again, this is a popular myth with little basis in fact. The truth is, it’s really the insurance companies that don’t want to end up in court, no matter how loudly they rattle their sabres in the beginning. They’re terrified of huge settlements being awarded by a jury, as well as court costs and the extra time, money and manpower it takes to fight a personal injury case. Most cases do settle out of court, and if it is absolutely necessary for you to go to court to receive a fair award from the insurance company, your accident attorney will be there to guide and advide you.

3. It takes forever to get any compensation, so why bother? Cases that involve very serious injuries or complex liability issues can take time to settle. Like in a multi-vehicle crash—who is responsible for the second, third, fourth or fifth collision? Apart from incidents like these, however, a good Portland personal injury attorney will, in most cases, know how to keep the process moving rapidly along, and will have your case settled within one year (on average).

4. Personal injury compensation is easy money. This is a myth that some people want to believe. The truth is somewhat different. If you’ve been knocked off your bike in Oregon, for example, it’s unlikely your Portland personal injury lawyer will get you a lottery style payout. But you will get compensation for very important things like medical bills, physical therapy, lost wages, pain, suffering and mental anguish, ongoing treatment (if required) and ambulance, emergency room and hospitalization costs.

5. The legal system does not favor corporate interests over those of the individual. This should be true, and in theory, anyone who has been wronged should be eligible for relief. However, it can be quite daunting going up against a

large insurance corporation as a single individual. That’s why anyone who has been involved in a car accident, bicycle accident, or if they have been injured as a pedestrian and it wasn’t their fault, they should contact a reputable Portland personal injury attorney, who will guide them through the minefield of dealing with insurance companies.