Accidents can happen in a split second, but the consequences can change your life forever. When you get in your vehicle to go from point A to point B the last thing you expect is to get injured due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing. Unfortunately, accidents happen and the outcome is often more harmful than simply physical damages. After a car accident, many victims experience financial difficulties because of lost time at work, medical expenses, and pain and suffering. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident that caused injuries, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced accident attorney as soon as possible after the accident. Here are just some of the reasons why you need to hire a personal injury lawyer after an accident.
Proving Negligence
Your personal injury lawyer knows what is required in order to prove liability and fault under the laws that are concerned with injury accidents. In order to have a successful personal injury claim, you must prove negligence, which means the other party responsible for your injuries has breached their duty to prevent the risk of harm to others. Your attorney will be knowledgeable in the documents, evidence, and proof required to help you have a successful claim. For instance, they will gather witness statements, ensure you have all of your medical bills, obtain the police reports and help ensure you have all documentation required.
Deals With the Insurance Companies
When you are involved in an accident that was caused by another driver’s negligence the insurance companies will immediately attempt to offer you a settlement. Unfortunately, insurance companies want to compensate with the lowest possible amount. In most situations, this means compensation for any future medical expenses and treatments relating to the accident will not be considered. Your personal injury lawyer will deal with the insurance companies and negotiate settlements on your behalf. The attorney will make a full demand for your injuries and compensation settlement when you have a personal injury attorney is generally greater than the settlement you may receive if you attempt to fight for your claim on your own.
Permanent Impact
Even if the injuries from your accident appear to be minor, they may be worse than you realize and the impact can be lasting. Sometimes the full extent of your injuries isn’t evident for a few days or even weeks after the accident. For this reason, it is essential that you seek medical attention immediately after the accident and it’s also the reason you should hire a personal injury attorney. A common mistake after an accident is thinking that you’ve only suffered minor injuries, so when the insurance company contacts you and offers a low compensation offer, you may assume that it is sufficient enough to cover your medical bills. However, in many situations, the injuries are more extensive than what was initially thought, or treatments last longer and are more expensive than you anticipated. Once compensation is awarded, victims cannot seek additional compensation, so before accepting any compensation talk with a personal injury lawyer because they will know how injuries can progress over time and will take the expenses into account when negotiating your compensation.
Faster Compensation
If you don’t have the assistance of a personal injury lawyer, in most situations you would have to wait until you have sufficiently recovered before attempting to seek compensation. This means it will take much longer to get your settlement. If you contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after your accident, they can begin filing your personal injury claims on your behalf while you are recovering. Qualified personal injury attorneys have significant experience with similar cases to yours and the legalities of those cases, so they can often sidestep potential setbacks and ultimately help you get compensated much quicker than if you have to handle the case on your own.
Legal Coverage
It is not uncommon for the defendants and/or the insurance companies to contest personal injury claims, which can prompt the victim to take action with the courts. If the case goes to court and the defendant has an attorney and you do not, the odds will generally be against you. Having the support of a personal injury attorney will help level the playing field in court. Your personal injury attorney will provide you with adequate legal representation throughout the court process and they will gather the evidence necessary to prove your case to the courts.
Professional and Objective
Automobile accidents and personal injuries create a tremendous amount of pain and emotional trauma, which can make it difficult to be objective when making decisions regarding your injuries. Your personal injury lawyer will file the personal injury claims on your behalf and they will bring experience, knowledge, and skill into your case, which will ultimately help you get the compensation you deserve.
You Can Focus on Recovering
Building a convincing personal injury claim is overwhelming, challenging, and tedious. You will need to gather eyewitness reports, medical records, interview experts and specialists, gather police reports, track all of your expenses, calculate future costs, and negotiate your settlement. Keeping track of all these tasks is exhausting. When you hire a personal injury attorney, instead of focusing on the process and what’s needed, you can focus on recovering from your injuries.
When to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer
There are a couple of situations when it may be possible to handle a claim on your own. However, keep in mind that if you begin a claim process without the assistance of a personal injury attorney and hire one later, it may complicate the situation. In many situations you may be able to manage your own case if the accident didn’t result in any severe injuries, your accident was in a no-fault state and you are receiving the maximum available compensation. On the other hand, you should hire a personal injury lawyer if your injuries are worse than you thought, it’s apparent the accident was caused by the negligence of someone else, you are overwhelmed by the insurance companies, and/or if you lost a loved in a fatal accident that was due to someone else’s negligence.
You only have a certain time frame to start the legal process of filing your accident claim. This is known as the statute of limitations and if you miss the deadline, you may never have the opportunity to recover compensation for your injuries. Experienced personal injury attorneys know the deadlines for filing claims and they will help prevent you from missing the opportunity to recover compensation.
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