Injuries are unpredictable, and no one can fully prepare for their impact. When you suffer an accident, a lot can change in your life. After an accident, the things you’d do seamlessly, like putting on clothes, using the bathroom, or even enjoying a simple walk, suddenly become hard.
If you can’t work, your finances can take a hit, and before you realize it, meeting your medical bills and even supporting your family becomes a challenge. What’s even more painful is that someone could be responsible for your injury. If so, there’s one course of action to take: seek justice and compensation. But that’s easier said because the legal system can be complex, and navigating it alone can be overwhelming. Here’s the good news: you don’t have to go through it alone.
First, you must understand your rights to protect your health, finances, and future. Partnering with a reputable law firm like Aitken Aitken Cohn, which knows the ins and outs of the legal process, can make all the difference.
Here are the top rights you need to know after an injury and how your lawyer can offer you all the support you need.
You Have a Right to Compensation After an Injury — Know When Others Are Legally Responsible
So, an accident gets you off guard, and you don’t know much about the legal framework around injuries. Well, you are not alone- many people are not knowledgeable, unfortunately, they are taken advantage of. If you’ve been injured, you might be eligible for compensation. But there’s one thing- you must prove: someone else’s negligence and how it led to the injury to be compensated.
For instance, the store owner has failed to provide reasonable care if you slip because of a spill, a wet floor, or a lack of a warning sign. Or if a driver ignores stop signs or traffic lights and hits you, such carelessness is not just punishable; they are liable for the harm caused. Even institutions like hospitals, doctors, and nurses are required to provide proper care, so a wrong medication prescription leading to an injury or illness is considered a breach of duty of care, and they, too, can be held accountable.
How to do that? Get a lawyer. You need an experienced team like Aitken Aitken Cohn Trial Lawyers, who can support you with their decades of experience. They guide you through every process step, from documentation and negotiation to arguing your case in the courtroom.
That said, these are some of the top legal rights you should know:
What the Law Says: 7 Rights You Have After an Injury
1. Right to Seek Medical Attention
By law, no one should stop you from getting the healthcare you need when injured. In a bid to downplay the incident out of fear of the taint on their safety record, some employers or managers can discourage you from seeking care. Or even a hospital can deny you treatment, especially when the insurer delays or denies you coverage.
Legally, you should be denied medical care even if there’s a dispute over whose responsibility it is. If someone is frustrating you with not getting care, Aitken Aitken Cohon can help defend your rights.
2. Right to File a Claim for Compensation
Regardless of the nature of the injury, you can always seek compensation if another party is behind it. It’s meant to ensure your life isn’t miserable because of someone’s mistake. Some of the things that most injury victims are covered for include medical expenses, car repairs, lost income, pain, distress, and future care if the injury causes long-term disability.
When you file a claim, some insurance providers might be hesitant or refuse to cover, so working with an experienced lawyer can help ensure your rights are not infringed.
3. Right to Legal Representation
Injury law is quite complex. Insurers or employers can arm-twist you into entering an unfair deal without an expert. Well, you have the right to hire a lawyer and have them talk to them on your behalf. If the offer is low, you can refuse and let your lawyer negotiate for a fair amount or resort to legal action. A personal injury lawyer helps you navigate the legal process, handle the insurers, and fight it out in court.
4. Right to Gather Evidence
Another reason you should contact your lawyer right away after an injury is to get the documentation right. For starters, you don’t want to miss key details that need to be documented that could help build your case. If possible, talk to your lawyer even before leaving the scene because that’s where crucial evidence is collected before it’s tampered with.
Even if it’s evident that someone is responsible for the injury, they might deny it. The pictures and videos from the scene, together with the police and medical claims, are crucial to support your claim before you are compensated.
5. Right to A Fair Settlement- or Trial
If negotiations fail, you have the right to take your case to the courts seeking justice. To win a claim, you must convince the judge or the jury of a breach of duty of care by the defender, draw a direct link between the injury and their responsibility, and provide evidence of the damage you suffered. Again, here’s where having a seasoned lawyer can make all the difference.
6. Right to Workplace Protection Against Retaliation
Picture this: You get injured, follow the due process by reporting it, and file for compensation to cover the damages. You take a break for treatment, but something is off after returning to work. Suddenly, your supervisor or employer moves you to a position with more complex work, denies promotion, assigns you fewer hours, or even worse, you are fired with no good reason.
Your rights are being infringed- retaliation is illegal. It’s against your right to be demoted, punished, harassed, or fired simply because you exercised your right. If you feel someone violates this protection policy, a lawyer can help fight back.
Conclusion
Your life hardly stays the same after a life-threatening injury. The pain, financial struggles, and lifestyle disruptions can be a source of distress. Fighting back by seeking justice or compensation can seem scary, which makes moving on with life hard. But your life doesn’t have to be miserable. You must understand your legal rights and get a lawyer to work on your case immediately.
This guide explains key rights that personal injury victims should know. They offer powerful insights into your rights that no one should take away from you. Don’t wait too long; each state has legal deadlines for filing a personal injury claim. Another reason to act now is to avoid missing necessary evidence that could ruin your chance of a favorable settlement. So, contact a reputable law firm like Aitken Aitken Cohn for the support you need to defend your rights and secure fair compensation.
