Injury Claims: Does Hiring a Lawyer Help?

Insurance industry studies show that injured people with a lawyer, on average, get over three times more in monetary recoveries than people without a lawyer.

The Insurance Research Council is a research organization supported by insurance companies and associations.  In 2014 it published a report entitled “Attorney Involvement In Auto Injury Claims.” This study found that people who were represented by a lawyer on average recovered more than three times as much as people who did not have a lawyer.

The 2014 study compared the total payments for more than 17,000 bodily injury claims.  The study reported that the average payout for the injured person with an attorney was 3.54 times greater than for people without a lawyer.

The study also found that more accident victims were hiring attorneys than in the past.  A full copy of the 2014 report can be purchased at the Insurance Research Council website, https://www.insurance-research.org/.

This is not the first time such a study was done.  Back in 1999, the Insurance Research Council published a similar study which once again indicated that the settlements for injury victims with attorneys helping them were over 3 times higher than for other people.  Of course, the amount of recovery in any particular case will depend on the facts and circumstances and no lawyer can guarantee results.

The services provided by attorneys for auto accident, workplace injury and personal injury victims go far beyond going into the courtroom.  Among other things they may include:

• negotiating settlements with at-fault drivers and auto insurance companies;
• determining whether other sources of insurance coverage or monetary recovery exist;
• obtaining and reviewing all medical records and contacting medical providers;
• using proper legal means to advance client claims against insurance companies that may deny or delay compensation ; and
• addressing complicated issues of setoffs and liens.