Arson is a very serious crime that happens when someone deliberately sets a fire inside your building, leaving you in a very dangerous situation in terms of your life and health. Besides the immediate and visible damage of fire, you can experience physical injuries, emotional trauma, and huge financial losses. The effects might also be long-lasting, and apart from you, it might affect your families and the whole community. Arson cases can be complex when you have to prove an intent, identify the culprit, and pursue insurance claims. You should be aware of when to take professional legal advice for protection and properly pursue compensation. Hiring a good lawyer will be significant in assisting you through the technicalities of the law, getting your rights enforced, and seeking compensation for your losses. This article provides information on key situations when you should consult a law firm.

Alt: A Burning House

Sustained Injuries

If you have serious injuries, such as burns, broken bones, or breathing complications resulting from smoke inhalation, you need help from a personal injury law firm in Edwardsville. These attorneys specialize in personal injury law, and therefore they will help gauge the severity of your injuries while providing guidance through the claim process. They will assist in gathering medical records and documentation that may be required to prove your injury claims. A personal injury law firm Edwardsville will also consider how such injuries may affect your future to ensure that you get fair compensation for the continued treatment, rehabilitation, and loss of wages.

Emotional Distress

Fire accidents are most likely to cause a person emotional trauma, anxiety, depression, and PTSD. If this is the case and the emotional effects run deep, it would be a good idea to speak to a personal injury law firm about adding emotional distress to your claim. The personal injury law firm will help you obtain psychological evaluations and records to support claims of emotional distress. Personal injury claims take emotional distress into consideration, and a legal representative will help you convey this during negotiation.

Property Damages

Arson can severely damage your property. Where the extent of the damages is huge, a legal expert will shed light on how you should seek compensation claims for your losses, which may include repair works or replacements of damaged property. These firms will make sure there is an overall scrutiny of your property loss, including tangible assets.

Determining Liabilities

In every arson claim, it is good to know who is liable, whether one person or more; these may include property owners, landlords, or any other person. A personal injury law firm will elaborate on who is liable and enhance the case. The lawyers will carry out intensive investigations and gather enough evidence to prove liability.

Dealing with Insurance Issues

Arson’s claims are complicated because intent and cause have to be proved beyond reasonable doubt, as it is a criminal act. The insurance companies, in that respect, do not really provide equitable coverage for injuries that result from arson. If the insurance company denies or offers a low-ball settlement against your claim, seeking legal assistance from a personal injury law firm in Edwardsville will help you in full protection of your rights. These law firms would negotiate on your behalf and fight for a justified and rightful settlement.

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In 2022 alone, the United States reported more than 40,000 deaths from car crashes. The official number of accidents in that year surpassed five million. What are the most common causes of these accidents?

Over speeding

Cars today are faster and more sporty, but if you’re not careful, you could end up hurting yourself or others and need Dripping Springs legal support for injury cases. Despite the abundance of speed limits on roads, motorists still ignore them.

Speed Limits are designed to give you enough room to hit the brakes in places with high traffic or any changes to the road. Ignoring them only leads to undesirable consequences for the motorist.

Distracted driving

Smartphones are designed to make our lives easier, but there is a reason why it is illegal to use them while driving. The answer is distraction. Several drivers have caused motor accidents while texting and driving or even eating at the wheel.

Many states fine drivers for either of the two actions because they do not give you clarity of mind while driving. The only exception to this is using the phone for gps. However, the phone must not be hand held. Using a phone holder can make it easier and prevent any issues.

Drinking under the influence

This factor was the highest cause of accidents in the United States at some point, but other things like texting and overspeeding have taken their place. In most states, it is illegal to drive after drinking or taking any other drug that can impair your senses.

Thankfully, cab-hailing services have made it easier for inebriated drivers to make it safely home without hurting themselves or anyone else. They simply need to book a ride, and the driver will take them home safely. Then, they can return to pick their car when they are sober.

Reckless driving

In the US, reckless driving is one of the major causes of accidents, with drivers swerving, being aggressive, or tailgating other road users. Road rage is at an all-time high, and this has never led to anything positive.

There have been reports of drivers who got so angry that they pulled a gun on other motorists. Others destroy cars in a bid to placate their anger.

Bad weather conditions

This factor is not one most people can control. Visibility is often lower in bad weather conditions such as heavy rain or extreme snow. Some drivers may not have experience driving in this type of weather, and cause serious accidents.

The recommended action for driving in such weather is going as slowly as possible and using hazard lights. If the storm is too heavy, it’s better to park the car safely by the side of the road and wait for it to pass.

Sleeping on the wheel

As strange as it sounds, many accidents happen when a driver sleeps on the wheel. This is often common in truck accidents as drivers often work long shifts driving across state lines.

Alt text: back massage to relieve pain

If you have been hurt in an accident, there are some strict rules you must follow if you intend to pursue an action in court and claim damages. This guide will go over the most important rules to help you recover your expenses in damages.

Get treated immediately

Have a lawyer on standby as you receive treatment. Because of Injury lawyers SEO service, you can find one in your local area. The most important thing you should do when you have been involved in an accident is to get treated immediately. It doesn’t matter if you do not have any external injuries, but you may have internal injuries. Get to the hospital quickly and check to make sure you’re fine. If you also have physical therapy appointments, do not miss a single one.

Ensure that you follow your doctor’s recommendations, from medication to lifestyle changes, to help your wounds heal faster. The reason why you need to prioritize your treatment is because the defense can use any lapses to their advantage. They can claim that you did not go to the hospital immediately after the accident and infer that you were not truly injured. As diabolical as this sounds, the law allows them to defend their case.

Don’t exaggerate things

Exaggerating your pain will not help you in court. Whatever you feel, tell the doctor truly and honestly. They will conduct tests to ensure that you’re telling the truth. If the test did not find anything wrong with you or any injuries, the defense can use the doctor’s report against you.

Exaggerating your injuries is not the only way you can claim damages after an accident. There are also non-economic damages available to people who suffered emotional distress after the accident. So, if you are unable to claim economic damages, you can claim non-economic damages.

Tell your lawyer everything

You need to trust your lawyer to handle your case fully. So, do not keep any details hidden from the lawyer so that there are no surprise attacks from the defense. If you have any witnesses, be sure to inform your lawyer so that they can get the statements of the witnesses and present them in your favor.

Stay away from social media

Staying away from social media saves two proposes. One, ongoing cases are not to be discussed on public platforms until they are concluded in court. The second reason is the defense can use information from your social media to sabotage the case. For example, if you take a picture on social media, looking healthy or probably on vacation, the defense team can use this against you in court and claim you were never injured.

The same thing applies to commenting about the injury or talking about it with others online. If you have already posted on social media, then it is too late to delete it. Just ensure that you tell your attorney that you posted something on social media. Deleting the post can also be used against you to try to prove that you were not injured and are only deceiving the courts.