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Americans Believe Personal Injury Lawyers Can Get Them More Money
Personal injury law covers a wide area, ranging from automobile accidents to slips and trips in public places like malls and workers' compensation following an accident on the job. In Texas , oilfield accidents are another area that personal injury attorneys work in, given the high number of oil wells around the state.
It's not legally required to have a personal injury lawyer to handle a case, but as most work on a contingency fee basis — meaning there's no upfront payment to hire a lawyer and they only charge a fee if they win a case — there's no financial outlay or risk.
A total of 40.9% of respondents to the survey, which was carried out in Texas and other southern states in July and August, said they would "for sure" hire a personal injury lawyer to represent them. That compares to 12.5% who said they would handle their own case and 46.6% who didn't know either way — perhaps because they've never been in such a situation.
Insurance companies often make quick settlement offers, in the hope that the injured party will accept because they want to get on with their lives — but such offers are usually low, and many personal injury lawyers will fight to get a better settlement for their clients.
Asked if they would accept a quick settlement in a personal injury case or battle for a higher figure, 19.8% of those who took part said they would "definitely fight for more," 17.3% would be "tempted to take the first offer," and 8.4% agreed that "quick would be good, even if it's low." The majority (54.5%), however, didn't have an opinion, most likely again because they haven't had to bring a claim.
As for respondents' overall view of personal injury attorneys, most (59.9%) didn't have an opinion, 21% said they are "just after the money", 15.3% believed they help get victims of accidents justice and compensation, and 3.8% said you really need one after an accident.