When Do You Need to Hire a Railroad Injury Lawyer?

There are all kinds of professions out there and each of them has its benefits and drawbacks. Today we are discussing the profession of a railroad worker and the harsh reality behind it – the accidents that often happen.

Any line of work you do is subject to some form of mishap and as a product of those you have injuries that are tied to your workplace. Now, as we already mentioned some accidents and some professions can be a bit tougher than others, and one of those are accidents that may befall railroad workers. This is a very tough and demanding job and if you are not vigilant for at least one second you can be in a lot of problems.

Now, if you are involved in any type of injury on the railroad then you need to know that you need a lawyer behind you that will help you get the legal satisfaction you need. This lawyer will help you interpret laws and apply them to your specific case, which is very important. We as plain men think we know or can learn everything, but the law is very specific at times and you need a professional behind you.

If you have been injured in your place of work, the railroad, and you need assistance from a real professional you should consider DoranAndMurphy before you make any moves by yourself. The rest of this article will show you why and when you need to hire a lawyer for your case, so sit back and enjoy the rest of this article.

Specificity of injuries

If you were in an accident on a railroad, as the worker there, you probably have some sort of an injury. Now since the law regarding injuries, pain and suffering is full of specifics and based on case-to-case decisions you need a good lawyer behind you that can interpret all of this and that can swing the situation to your benefit. Some injuries will be less severe others more and you need someone that can navigate through the legality of all that and get you the maximum compensation you can get from the insurance company for what you have been through. You probably don’t know this, and you will be biased when it comes to this, but not all injuries can and are treated the same and with that, you need a lawyer behind your back to guide you through everything and to make sure that you get the maximum you can get for your situation.

Claims agent

If you were in an accident as a railroad employee that at some point you will start to deal with a claim agent. In the beginning, you can get the appearance that this person is working in your interest. What you don’t know is that the claims agent is, behind the scenes, consulting with the legal department of the railroad company you work for. What is even interesting is the fact that many times these claims agents are probably talking to the lawyer that they will hire to defend the claim if the case gets to the court. You can be sure that anyone in this surrounding working on the other side of you is working against your best interest. They will low-ball you; they will stuff you with legal precedents and legal terminology trying to get you scared and to take whatever they offer you. This is why having someone professional that can sift through all that and see what they are trying to do is important.

The evidence

Most of those who have suffered some sort of injury in their line of work will make their first contact with the claim agent and they will not hire their lawyer straight away. Some because they think that the case is straight forwards, some because of their financial situation, it doesn’t matter. What is important here is to know that it is OK to work with the claim agents but for some time. If you can’t agree on the number in a month or two, it is time to hire yourself a lawyer. WHY? The answer is what happens to the evidence of the case after, let’s say nine months or more?! The claims agent took all the pictures of all the documents and all other evidence and after six, nine months to a year, what do you have as evidence to support your injury claim? Nothing they took came to you, nothing of their evidence will be available to you because they consulted with their legal department and they are prepared to get you if this thing goes to litigation.

Statute of limitations

Another big and important thing to know is that there are periods when things like these can be resolved. What is the first intent of those that are obliged to pay you for your injury? To pay as little as possible because that is the corporate policy. IS there more? Of course, there is. Second thing is to try and prolong the payment as much as possible because as you could read from the point before, after some time you may end up without any evidence that can support your claim if it comes to court. The last thing is to try and stretch all of this to the point where the statute of limitation sets in these cases, and that the entire thing gets thrown away on the count of this technicality. For cases like this the statute of limitations should be three years in most countries and states, but to be perfectly sure, consult your lawyer about this to find the exact info.

Protect your data during the process

If you decide not to hire a lawyer for this thing, at some point you will probably sign something, and without your knowledge, you will give most or all of your medical data to the claim agent and the railroad company and their legal department. This can be bad for you because they will constantly have an edge over you. With a lawyer behind your back, you will make sure that all communication with the company, the lawyers that they hired or the claims agent goes through your lawyer or their firm. This way you will be protected from signing anything you don’t understand or giving up anything you don’t want to or that is legally not required from you to give.