This article aims to gather the opinions of attorneys from around the nation into just one article. Some of their answers have commonalities, just as you would expect, and others offer a unique take on the question.
But what they all have in common is that they seek to provide the best advice possible about when to hire a car accident attorney so that people can make the best possible decision.
Keep in mind that the insurance companies have teams of lawyers and adjusters who begin evaluating your injury claim right away.
Because of this, it is essential that you retain a personal injury lawyer immediately if you are injured in a car collision in order to level the playing field.
Facing a team of professional attorneys that work full-time for billion-dollar insurance companies isn’t a wise move.
It is possible to go at it alone, but you are literally at their mercy; they may give you a thousand dollars, a few hundred bucks, or possibly even deny your claim. It is up to them since you don’t really know what legal rights you have, what alternatives you could use, or what to do to fight them.
They spend every day, all day, fighting claims on behalf of their employers (insurance companies) so facing them on your own with no experience has an obvious outcome.
In this article, we also cover what factors an injury victim should consider when hiring the best car accident lawyer for their respective case, why not all law firms are the same, and why it is vital you select a car accident lawyer or law firm that actually takes cases to trial if necessary.
It is a fact the car accident victim is at a disadvantage advantage to the applicable insurance companies when not represented by legal counsel; let alone a competent and experienced accident attorney. Insurance carriers, like State Farm, GEICO, Progressive, Allstate, USAA, Liberty Mutual, Farmers, Nationwide, and a host of others are all mega-corporations. They got that way by employing an effective method of keeping costs low and profits high.
This method is rooted in the idea that they attempt to pay as little as possible to the victim of an auto accident. They accomplish this by employing skilled claim adjusters and attorneys who can poke holes in what may appear to be a clear-cut fact pattern.
Insurance carriers are well aware of which attorneys and law firms are known for taking cases to trial as opposed to the lawyers and firms that settle easily while leaving money on the table.
Hiring a car accident law firm with significant trial experience levels the playing field between you and the insurance companies’ substantial financial resources and skilled attorneys. It is essential you retain a lawyer that handles only personal injury law and deals with car accident claims on a daily basis.
Deciding whether or not you should hire a car accident lawyer is based on your own case. If you have simple injuries that required a simple fix, then hiring an attorney is probably not necessary. But you should still consult one. Attorneys offer free consultations for a reason: so that nobody’s time is wasted and prospective clients are aware of all available options.
Once you decide that hiring a lawyer for your car wreck is necessary, use caution in which attorney you hire. Do your research and apply diligence. Some firms make their money through volume. They take in a lot of small cases and settle them as quick as possible. They are known as settlement mills. These mills are often spotted by flashy advertising. So instead of being persuaded by something that is literally meant to persuade you, get on your computer, read some reviews, check results, and call around. It’s the best way to find the best car accident lawyer.
Once you have made it through the process of hiring a personal injury attorney, you will be well on your way to getting the compensation you deserve. Your attorney can then sit down with you and explain how Florida’s PIP system works and how they will approach your own insurance company and the at-fault party’s insurance carrier. Your accident lawyer will lay out how the entire process works.
The best thing you can do is be informed about the process of filing a car accident claim in the state that you reside in. To get you started, we have created an in-depth guide to the personal injury process, which can be found here: Timeline of a Personal Injury Case. By reading this article, you will be well on your way to getting the fair compensation you are owed
Bottom line: It is never too soon after a crash to hire an experienced car accident injury attorney.
There are practical limitations to that advice, of course. Most people do not have a car accident lawyer on speed dial. They probably will not think to call an attorney while they are still at the accident scene, dealing with sudden injuries, or being loaded into the back of an ambulance.
Seeking medical should, in any event, always be that person’s first priority. But, as soon as the dust has settled on an accident, calling an experienced car accident lawyer will almost always reap benefits.
Here’s why. A car accident injury attorney acts as an advocate for clients injured in car accidents. What do we mean by “advocate”? To start, the lawyer is a protector of the injured client’s legal interests.
The lawyer shields the client from individuals and entities who might try to impair or limit the client’s rights after an accident; people like aggressive insurance adjusters and defense attorneys hoping to pin “fault” on the accident victim instead of on their own, blameworthy clients.
An attorney also serves as an objective voice of reason for the victim and the victim’s family during a stressful, chaotic time. Crash victims often find it difficult to think clearly about potentially important, financially significant decisions in the hours, days, and weeks after a car accident injury.
Car accident lawyers support their clients by giving clear, level-headed advice.
Finally, an experienced car accident attorney acts as the client’s representative in pursuing the client’s legal rights; the client’s strong, clear “voice,” if you will, in making sure the client sees justice and accountability done.
In our experience, car accident victims and their families need that kind of advocate right away. Whether or not they realize it, from the moment a crash occurs, injured crash victims land smack-dab in the eye of a potentially massive legal storm. Immediately, individuals and companies the victims may know nothing about begin positioning themselves to avoid holding financial liability for the victim’s injuries. Most victims have no idea how to act in response. As we said, most are not even aware of the flurry of law-related activity that spins up almost instantly after someone’s bad decisions or dangerous conduct causes a car accident that injures an innocent victim.
Lawyers, however, know all about the brewing legal storm and how it can affect car accident victims. The sooner you contact one of them for help after an accident, the sooner they can begin taking steps to protect you, your family and your rights to receive compensation.
