Do I Need A Personal Injury Lawyer?

[00:00:02.640] Most people have rights they don't know they have. [00:00:07.480] When you're in an accident the insurance companies are looking to lowball you, [00:00:10.480] to settle cheaply, to get rid of your case and basically to cheat you. [00:00:13.840] You need a lawyer because a lawyer, our lawyers especially, know the law, [00:00:17.920] we know what you're entitled to, [00:00:19.320] and we're not going to let the insurance companies take advantage of you. [00:00:22.080] It's important to choose an expert in New York, [00:00:23.680] because New York's laws are confusing, [00:00:26.160] archaic, and if you don't file something on time, for example, [00:00:31.120] you could lose your legal rights. [00:00:33.160] A lot of laws in New York have timelines [00:00:35.560] that most people wouldn't understand and don't think are rational. [00:00:38.600] For example, if you get hurt in a car accident, [00:00:41.120] you have to file an application for benefits within 30 days. [00:00:44.120] If you don't, you may not be entitled to medical coverage or lost wages. [00:00:47.720] If you get hurt by a municipality, like a bus, for example, or in a subway, [00:00:54.160] if you slip and fall on a subway because of ice, [00:00:56.280] you have to file a notice of claim within 90 days. [00:00:58.520] If you don't do it, you have to then go to court to get [00:01:00.920] special permission to be able to file a lawsuit. [00:01:03.440] So New York has a lot of archaic laws, strict timelines, [00:01:06.920] and if you just sit on your hands and you don't call a lawyer right away, [00:01:09.800] you may blow a timeline and not even know it. [00:01:11.720] Trying to handle a legal case without a lawyer or [00:01:14.400] a lawsuit, without a lawyer, is like trying to perform surgery on yourself. [00:01:17.720] It's not a good idea. [00:01:19.520] Trying to handle a case yourself, even if you're intelligent, [00:01:21.840] you're not necessarily educated in the processes and how things [00:01:25.360] are supposed to be filed and how things are supposed to be done. [00:01:28.000] A lot of times a small error can cause a very bad result, [00:01:30.880] and you can lose your case. [00:01:31.840] Not because you're wrong, but because you just didn't do it right. [00:01:34.760] I think everyone needs a lawyer if you've been injured in an accident [00:01:37.640] because the insurance companies are never going to treat you fairly. [00:01:41.240] If you've been injured in a medical malpractice case, [00:01:44.000] the hospitals and doctors are never going to admit they did anything wrong, [00:01:47.600] until they're forced to do so. [00:01:50.120] Most people just don't have the ability to do that. [00:01:52.680] You really need an expert on your side.