Choosing the right lawyer can have a substantial effect on the results of your personal injury claim. An experienced personal injury lawyer who meets you and takes the time to listen carefully to the facts of your case can sometimes save you substantial financial and personal hardship. Take the case of a 39-year-old man who was hurt in an auto accident, who had already undergone one cervical spine surgery to correct injuries from his accident. To settle his claim, the insurance company had offered him just $150,000 out of a total available insurance policy of $250,000. What’s more, the man did not realize that he had an additional $750,000 in underinsured motorist insurance, which could cover his treatment if his claim exceeded the $250,000 limit.

The man and his wife consulted several personal injury lawyers to discuss whether they should accept the insurance company’s offer. The first two lawyers they consulted did not delve into all of his medical problems. Importantly, they did not identify the fact that he would likely require future surgeries, which could jeopardize his livelihood as a salesman who traveled thousands of miles a year. Fortunately, the couple sought out the advice of one of the experienced personal injury lawyers who wrote this book. After listening carefully to the prospective client, the lawyer realized that this gentleman was a likely candidate for future surgeries that could threaten his career. The lawyer recommended that he wait for several months before considering any settlement offers, to see whether he needed more treatment or had other problems related to the accident.

As the lawyer suspected, the man ultimately needed two additional cervical spine surgeries, which resulted in permanent physical limitations. He was terminated from his job and ultimately had to accept a job paying significantly less. Based on these lost future earnings and his additional surgeries, the lawyer was able to negotiate a settlement that was over six times the amount of the offer from the defendant’s insurance carrier. In this case, waiting to make a claim until he fully understood his injuries, and hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer, helped the man avoid the financial and medical problems that might have resulted from taking the smaller initial offer.