If you’ve been injured in a car accident, there are so many moving parts to the process of recovery, it may be difficult to navigate on your own. If you’re seeking compensation for medical bills or time lost, you may be wondering whether it’s worth it to file a personal injury claim, or whether you need to speak to a personal injury lawyer to do so. The legal system is complicated, and can be even more complicated when money and injury is involved. If you’re unsure whether you should retain a personal injury lawyer, here are four reasons it might be the right choice for you.
First and foremost: if your quality of life has been permanently altered by the injuries you sustained in your accident, hiring a personal injury attorney is almost always the right decision. While you’re focusing on adjusting to the new reality of your day-to-day life after the accident, you need an attorney who has specialized knowledge of the legal system surrounding car accidents, one who will advocate to get you the compensation you need. An experienced attorney can help you calculate the value of your injuries, as well as the potential earnings that will be lost over time as a result of your injuries. This is especially important as the cost of your injuries rise; if you hit the cap for what the other party’s insurance will cover, you may only receive a fraction of what you deserve. In cases like these, a personal injury attorney will be an invaluable tool to pursue other forms of compensation and help you navigate what comes next.
When it comes to a personal injury claim, more parties involved can mean that determining who is legally at fault and whose insurance covers what becomes an increasingly complicated process. If several people were injured as a result of one driver’s actions, then there might be less money to go around as a result. Also, because multiple-party accidents may lead to multiple liabilities (e.g., someone rear-ends your vehicle, causing your vehicle to rear-end someone else), insurance companies may also reduce your settlement as a way of holding you accountable for your partial liability in the accident. In these cases, a personal injury lawyer can help protect you against cross-claims or counterclaims by other parties who were involved in the accident.
In an ideal world, you would immediately be fairly compensated for the injuries you sustained as a result of a car accident. However, sometimes insurance companies will find reasons to refuse to pay a fair settlement, or will engage in bad faith tactics in order to protect their investment. If you have attempted to negotiate a fair settlement for your personal injury claim with the insurance company on your own and they’ve refused to pay, or have severely undervalued your injuries, it might be time to get a car accident attorney a call. With their legal knowledge and experience dealing with these kinds of bad faith practices, an attorney can continue to advocate for you in order to help get you the settlement you deserve.
Ultimately, you have nothing to lose by contacting a lawyer to help you navigate your personal injury claim. Many law offices offer free and confidential consultations to help you navigate whether you have sufficient material to proceed with a case. If you do, you will almost certainly find that hiring an attorney will not only be worth what you pay to have them represent you, but will also be worth the peace of mind you experience by having your attorney advocate for you and your needs. This will free you up to focus on other aspects of healing as a result of your accident. There are approximately 6 million car accidents in the U.S. each year, meaning that there are huge swaths of Americans who need someone to advocate for their injuries. You’re not alone. If you’ve been injured in a car accident and believe you may have a claim, contact our office today.