Car accidents can be traumatic and result in significant physical, emotional, and financial burdens. People will tell you that you need both a doctor and a lawyer after you have suffered an injury. Obviously, medical professionals will diagnose and treat your injuries, but that is only part of the picture. You also have the legal right to financial compensation when another driver’s negligence is the cause of your injuries. A knowledgeable and experienced car accident lawyer is important for protecting your rights and advocating for your best interests.
A car accident lawyer’s primary job is establishing and protecting your legal right to total financial compensation when you have suffered an injury in a motor vehicle crash. If someone else’s actions were to blame for your car accident injuries, they have a legal obligation to pay you for the full amount of your damages. However, many things must happen before any money goes into your account, and there is a complex legal process fraught with potential pitfalls that can cost you money.
A car accident attorney’s job is to prevent these barriers from getting in the way of your compensation and to handle them when they occur. They understand the legal complexities surrounding car accident claims and the insurance companies, allowing them to handle the details of your case effectively.
Knowing what a car accident lawyer does should convey a sense of urgency when hiring one for your case. You should not delay getting the legal help you need because your right to financial compensation is on the line. If you wait too long to retain a car accident lawyer, you may not only struggle to prove your entitlement to money, but your compensation may be less.
To further understand why getting legal help is vital, you need to know every task a car accident attorney performs once you hire them for your case.
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Your Car Accident Lawyer Explains Your Legal Rights
You may know you are due some money because you have seen numerous attorney billboards and advertisements. Further, you generally know you can get compensation for your car accident injuries. However, you may need to understand your legal rights and how the process works to get paid for your injuries. Before filing your claim, you must understand the basis for your legal rights and what may be in store.
A car accident attorney will take the time to explain more about your case and what you can expect. They will review how the legal process works and answer any questions you may have. Since you may have to make decisions in your case, it helps to be as well-informed as possible, and a car accident attorney can educate you on the legal process.
Your Car Accident Lawyer Investigates Your Crash
You can only receive compensation if you prove the other driver is to blame for your car accident injuries. Personal injury law imposes the burden of proof on you because you are the one who is seeking money for your injuries. You must prove that the facts that you allege are more likely than not to have occurred to receive financial compensation.
You are not a trained investigator and do not know how to dig for more evidence to prove your case. Besides, you are dealing with physical injuries at the same time that keep you from being effective, even if you did know how to investigate a car crash.
There is a limited time frame for someone to investigate your car accident because the evidence you need to prove your case is only available for a limited time. Witnesses can become more challenging to locate, and their recollections may fade. Physical evidence can begin to disappear within days after the accident.
Your car accident lawyer knows how to get to the bottom of your crash and learn what happened as soon as possible. They know the sources of evidence that may be persuasive to an insurance company when it is deciding whether to accept liability for the accident. Your car accident lawyer may begin by speaking with witnesses who saw the crash and gathering their recollections. If necessary, your attorney can continue by collecting physical evidence proving liability for the accident. However, you must immediately hire a car accident attorney because it can get much more complicated to prove your case the longer it takes you to get legal help.
A Car Accident Attorney Quantifies Your Damages
You may only know what you are due in financial compensation once you speak with a car accident attorney. Your compensation is more than just the economic losses from car accident injuries. Of course, you have the legal right to get paid back for everything you have lost financially from the accident. These damages cover both the past losses you have suffered and the damages you will sustain in the future. However, it can be difficult to quantify all your damages.
Further, you can get paid for the negative experience associated with your car accident injuries. Your injuries have likely caused you physical pain, and you can receive compensation for it. On top of that, you may be dealing with the mental health effects of your car accident injuries. For example, the actual moment of impact and the aftermath of the crash may have caused you post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, you may be dealing with anxiety and depression.
Non-economic damages are inherently subjective in nature and should depend on what you are experiencing personally, although insurance companies want to avoid hearing about your experience. They want to use a shorthand formula to save money.
Your car accident attorney helps you learn the compensation you deserve, and they work to maximize the value of your settlement. Along the way, they must overcome the delaying tactics that the insurance company may use in settlement negotiations.
Your Car Accident Lawyer Negotiates Financial Compensation
Even when the insurance company accepts liability for your accident, there is still a way to go until you can reach a final compensation agreement. The process has many stops and starts and potentially several difficult moments. Insurance companies will likely begin by making you a paltry settlement offer in exchange for your legal right to compensation. You may wonder whether they are even serious about settling your claim, but that is how insurance companies operate. They expect you to go through an entire negotiation process before settling your case.
Although insurance companies know full well the value of your case, and they can settle it right away, that is rarely what they do in practice. They want to hold onto their money for as long as possible and make a profit. In addition, insurance companies want to see if they can get you to accept less because they make more money that way. Adding time to the process may catch you in a state of financial desperation.
A car accident lawyer can turn around, play hardball, and go toe-to-toe with the insurance company in the negotiation process. The implied threat is that your car accident lawyer can file a lawsuit on your behalf, costing insurance companies money and raising their own legal risk.
It takes knowledge, toughness, and patience to negotiate with an insurance company, which is precisely what your car accident attorney has. At some point, they may decide that patience is not your best strategy and may put more pressure on the insurance company. If your car accident lawyer has a reputation for being tough and aggressive, insurance companies will not want to pick a fight because they may not get the better of it.
An Attorney Can Litigate on Your Behalf
You hope you do not have to take your car accident case to court. In fact, most car accident cases reach a settlement, and your legal matter may never see the inside of a courtroom. However, there are times when you may need to go to court. When that happens, you need an experienced car accident lawyer who knows the inside of a courtroom.
You may need to file a car accident lawsuit under the following circumstances:
- The insurance company denies your claim entirely.
- The insurance company tries to assign part of the blame to you, which has the effect of reducing or eliminating your financial compensation.
- You and the insurance company are not on the same page regarding financial compensation.
When you must go to court, your car accident attorney will represent you throughout the lawsuit. They may build your case in the discovery process while continuing to negotiate a potential settlement with the insurance company.
Your Attorney Protects You from Insurance Company Overreach
The insurance adjuster is a trained professional who may use one of several tricks to try to reduce your compensation or catch you off guard. If you are handling your claim, you may only know that they have tricked or trapped you once you have made a mistake. When insurance companies believe they have something on the record, they will use it against you like it is a documented fact. You do not have to worry about what the insurance company may try to do to you when you have a car accident lawyer representing you.
Your car accident lawyer can handle all communication and negotiation with insurance companies. Insurance companies often try to minimize payouts or deny claims altogether, leaving victims vulnerable. A skilled lawyer will protect your rights and fight for fair compensation for your medical bills, lost earnings, property damage, and pain and suffering.
Insurance companies cannot speak directly to you when you have a car accident attorney; you only need to direct them to talk with your lawyer if they do. Not having to communicate directly with the insurance company can eliminate the possibility of self-inflicted errors that can compromise your claim. The insurance company cannot pressure you into giving a statement that can contradict some of what you are saying in your claim.
How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
Car accident lawyers do not work in the same way as other lawyers. If you were to hire a divorce or criminal defense lawyer, they get paid on an hourly basis. You need to write them a retainer check upfront, and then they will bill you by the hour. It can be challenging to come up with that kind of money when you have suffered an injury in a car accident because your finances are already stretched.
The good news is that a car accident attorney represents you on a contingency basis, meaning they only get paid if they win your case and secure a settlement or verdict on your behalf. This arrangement is especially beneficial for individuals who may not have the financial resources to pay for legal representation upfront. By working on a contingency fee basis, the lawyer assumes the economic risk of taking on your case.
The contingency fee is typically a percentage of the total amount recovered in your case. This percentage may vary depending on the specific circumstances of your case and the state you are in. However, it is important to note that the lawyer's fee typically gets deducted from the settlement or award you receive, meaning you will not have to provide any upfront payment for their services.
Working on a contingency fee basis aligns the lawyer's interests with yours. They will work hard to seek maximum compensation because their payment depends on the case outcome. This arrangement also ensures you can access legal representation regardless of your financial situation.
An Accident Attorney is Standing By
If you do not already have a car accident attorney in your corner, now is the time to call one or more lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation. Dealing with the aftermath of a car accident can be overwhelming, especially when facing physical injuries and financial difficulties. By enlisting the help of a personal injury lawyer, you can have peace of mind knowing that you have a trusted advocate on your side, fighting for the compensation you deserve.
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