When you get involved in a car accident, there are numerous reasons why you should hire an auto accident attorney to represent you. Here are just four of those reasons.
Avoid Damaging Your Case
When you get involved in an accident, the police will ask you to provide a statement regarding how the accident unfolded. Additionally, the insurance company covering the at-fault driver will also ask you to provide a similar statement about the accident.
While providing both these statements, it is pretty easy for a motorist to divulge information that compromises their ability to file a claim. Thus it is essential to have an auto accident lawyer present while providing statements to the police and insurance companies regarding the accident. The auto accident lawyer will advise you on how to answer the different questions without compromising your case.
Gather Evidence for Your Claim
Before you file a claim with the insurance company that provides cover for the at-fault motorists, it is essential to gather sufficient evidence that supports your claim. Gathering evidence can be difficult for motorists, especially if they are in hospital or at home recovering from their injuries.
You need to hire an auto accident lawyer to start preparing your claim as early as possible. The accident lawyer will be responsible for compiling police reports, your medical records that document your injuries, photos of the accident scene, and witnesses who saw the accident take place. The lawyer will then utilize all these factors as evidence to prove you are entitled to compensation.
Calculate the Value of the Claim
After an accident, you should file two separates sets of claims. One claim is for your auto collision insurance and the second claim goes to the insurer of the at-fault party. The claim you send to your auto insurance provider is for the damages to your car after the accident. Hence, it is up to your auto accident lawyer to have the vehicle's total damage evaluated and get an estimated cost for the repairs needed and present the estimate to your auto insurance provider.
However, when filing a claim with the at-fault motorist's insurance provider, numerous factors have to be considered. For instance, you need to consider:
- Your current and future medical bills
- Your ability to work
- Your Emotional suffering
If you handle the claim yourself, insurance companies will try to cover your current medical bills only and give you a little extra money to settle the claim as fast as possible. However, an auto accident lawyer will make sure the claim includes as many factors as possible to get you compensated for more than just your medical bills.
Before filling any accident claim with an insurance company, have your auto accident lawyer calculate all the factors that should get included in the claim. For instance, you are entitled to get compensated for the wages you won't earn while recovering from your injuries.
Avoid Getting Short-Changed By Insurance Adjusters
Insurance adjusters have one goal in mind when negotiating a settlement for a claim: To pay as little money as possible. Hence, if you are not well versed in negotiating with insurance companies, you might not get the claim amount you expected. Let an auto accident lawyer handle all the negotiations with the insurance adjustors. Since your lawyer will have all relevant evidence, there is a slim chance that the insurance adjuster will be able to negotiate a lower value for your claim.
To learn more, contact law services like Burnett and Williams.
Sadly, many people are injured due to someone else's negligence. Maybe you were in a car accident that was the other driver's fault, and now you're dealing with relentless back pain. Or perhaps your neighbor's dog bit you, and you're considering suing them. Both of these scenarios fall under the legal umbrella of personal injury law.
Since proving someone else is responsible for your injuries can be challenging, the world of personal injury law is a vast one. Your own attorney is your best source of information directly related to your own case, but we created this website to give you a good basic overview of what your personal injury case may entail — and what you can expect when you meet with your attorney. Dig in and start reading our articles; you'll soon feel more informed as to what's to come.