In 2013 alone, 424,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. A person is injured in a car accident involving a drunk driver every two minutes. Drunk driving and distracted driving are two of the most common causes of auto accidents. If you or someone you know was recently injured in an auto accident, the best thing you can do is hire a personal injury lawyer.
Why hire a personal injury lawyer?
It’s entirely possible to fire an insurance claim by yourself. This could be a successful path for you if you’ve only suffered minor injuries as a result of the car accident and you have the time to research the legal claims process. The benefits to going it alone is that you’ll save on personal injury lawyer fees.
That being said, there are many very good reasons to hire a personal injury lawyer following a car accident. For one, your insurance provider has a whole team of lawyers they use to help them come out ahead in any personal injury settlements. An experienced personal injury lawyer will know the laws around personal injury suits and how not to get swindled out of less than you deserve.
Your personal injury attorney is there to be your advocate from beginning to end. He or she will be able to help you navigate the claims process, ensure none of the necessary paperwork falls through the cracks and no deadlines are missed. Personal injury lawsuit settlements don’t have to be as costly as you might fear, either. The vast majority, at 95% or 96% are actually settled pretrial.
When should you call a personal injury lawyer?
If you’ve suffered severe injuries, face high medical bills or a significant loss of wages due to a car accident, you should consult with a personal injury lawyer to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
Severe injuries
The severity of injuries resulting from a car accident can be measured by the:
- Type of injury
- Recovery time you’ll need to take
- Cost of your medical bills (including the estimated cost of future medical expenses)
Disputes
If the insurance company has attempted to dispute your claim, it’s time to hire a personal injury lawyer if you haven’t already. When an insurance company disputes your claim, it is essentially saying you don’t have adequate proof to demonstrate that its policyholder was at fault. Therefore, the insurance company isn’t liable to financially compensate you for your injuries.
A personal injury or auto accident lawyer will have the know-how to help you gather the proof you need to demonstrate liability.
Refusals to pay
Similarly, if the insurance company outright refuses to pay you a fair settlement or any settlement at all, this is when to call a law firm. A personal injury lawyer will be able to stand up to stingy insurance companies and help you receive fair compensation for your injuries.
What to look for in a car accident lawyer
If there’s one thing most people know about lawyers, it’s that there are a lot of types of lawyers out there. From personal injury to divorce lawyers to criminal defense attorneys, it can be hard to determine where one specialty ends and the next begins. To ensure you find the best personal injury lawyer for your case, look for these characteristics:
- A focus on personal injury accidents
The most important thing to look for is a lawyer who specializes in personal injury cases. This will ensure he or she knows about the personal injury laws and how to navigate them. - Experience in car accident lawsuits
Being a personal injury lawyer doesn’t necessarily mean an attorney has experience handling car accidents. He may be more focused on slip-and-fall cases or workplace injuries. - A good reputation and track record
Even a personal injury lawyer who claims to specialize car accident cases won’t do you much good if he isn’t qualified to handle your case. The best way to determine a lawyers capabilities is through his past clients and cases. - Easy to communicate with
Lastly, you want to find a personal injury lawyer who you feel comfortable with and who is willing and able to communicate openly with you about your case. If you feel at all uneasy, move onto someone else.
