Every accident can be unexpected and many people may have little experience with what to do immediately after an accident. The truth is that if you got injured in an accident, it means it may be the fault of someone else. Therefore, it’s right that you should get fair compensation for the injuries and damages you sustain.
You can decide either to file a personal injury lawsuit against the party at fault’s insurance company or hire a personal injury attorney to file a lawsuit on your behalf. Remember that hiring a personal injury attorney after the accident is always the best option. If it was the other person’s fault for your injuries, then it’s your legal right to get a settlement for your losses, so a lawyer can come in handy. This post explains why you need to hire a personal injury lawyer after an accident.
The Benefits of Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney
Many people involved in accidents don’t consider speaking with a personal injury lawyer until they have already contacted the insurance company. However, it’s important to contact your personal injury attorney before speaking with the insurance company that covers the party at fault or the liable party.
In most cases, it’s always a good idea to let your personal injury attorney deal with the insurance company. Unfortunately, insurance companies may not be in a hurry to pay out your claim, so they tend to use the conversations with you to make you compromise the claim.
If you have already got in touch with an insurance company, perhaps the first conversation with its representative may have alerted you of the need to speak to a lawyer about your claim.
That said, here are some of the reasons why you should hire a personal injury attorney:
The Insurance Company Rejects Your Claim
It can be devastating for you to hear that the insurance company rejects your claim. This is because it can be hard to deal with your injuries and damages without financial support. Also, it means you have to figure out the best way you can pay the medical expenses on your own.
If the insurance company denies your claim, then a personal injury lawyer can assist you to dispute that denial and get more satisfactory outcomes. There are various reasons an insurance company can deny your claim.
The insurance company may think that the party they cover was not at fault for the accident. So the insurance company can try to claim that you were at fault, or it can even attempt to show that there is another party responsible for the accident.
In such cases, a personal injury lawyer can investigate the accident and establish the party responsible for the accident. For example, a car accident investigation can involve checking a video of the accident or even consulting some witnesses at the accident scene. Besides these, it may also involve getting an expert witness to assist in establishing exactly the way the accident happened and what or who caused it.
Further, a personal injury lawyer can usually get access to important information that is always hard for you to access. For instance, in an accident involving a commercial truck driver, a personal injury attorney can access the truck driver’s logbook. This can show the time the truck driver spent driving the truck before the accident.
A personal injury attorney can also check public records related to the previous accidents at the same time you got injured. They can also investigate repair reports on a car to figure out whether or not the car got maintenance work on schedule or missed the service that may have prevented the accident.
This investigation is important for you as it can come up as evidence regarding who was at fault for the accident. It can also be critical information that may show whether or not there were other parties liable for the accident. This information can allow you to file a personal injury claim against the liable parties.
It’s worth noting that the insurance company can also argue that the injuries you sustained didn’t lead to the limitations you claim. Even worse, an insurance company can request to see significant evidence of the limitations that are caused by your injuries.
The medical records and medical bills that can show the extent of the injuries are just the beginning. Quite often, the insurance company desires to know how these injuries affect your life, which can be immediately after the accident and in the future.
There is also a chance that the insurance company can also investigate you. So if the insurance company thinks that you are exaggerating the extent of your injuries or even lied about your limitations, then they can deny your claim. The insurance company can usually see your social media accounts to determine if you are engaging in activities that may compromise your claim.
They usually try to see in your posts if participating in activities that you claim the accident prevents you from performing. The insurance company seeks to take the social media posts out of context so that they can deny your claim.
But with an experienced personal injury attorney on your side, they can let you know the ideal information the insurance company can require to approve your claim. Even better, the lawyer helps to put you in a better bargaining position to optimize the chances of a fair settlement. However, if the insurance company still denies your claim, then your lawyer can appeal this denial and give evidence that can improve the odds of a successful outcome.
The Insurance Company Takes Too Long To Respond
In some cases, you can realize that a long time has elapsed since the accident and the insurance company is yet to respond to your claim. It can also be that you may have received the initial communication from the at-fault party’s insurance company, then there was no longer any further communication. This is where it can be confusing because you don’t know what to expect or when you should wait for the payment of your claim.
There is also a chance that you may have accepted a settlement offer from the at-fault party’s insurance company, but the agreed payment didn’t arrive. Remember that many insurance companies can use various tactics just to delay payment of your injury claim. Simply put, these insurance companies don’t just want to give you this money. Unfortunately, you need to get this money to pay for the medical bills and other expenses.
A personal injury lawyer can assist you to get the response you want from the insurance company. Sometimes, simply hiring a lawyer can let the insurance company understand the seriousness you have to get compensation. An attorney can also offer you important information about the various penalties insurance companies can face for denying your claim.
The Insurance Company Offers a Low Settlement
Rather than considering your needs and following the letter of their policy, many insurance companies tend to attempt to reduce the compensation they can pay you. In most cases, this can start immediately after the accident. The insurance company can contact you a few days after the accident to give a settlement offer. So this offer can reflect the minimum amount of money the insurance company believes it can get away with by paying you.
Therefore, if you accept this offer, there is a chance that it may not be enough to take care of the full extent of the injuries, these are the present and future injuries. And, accepting this initial offer can usually prevent you from getting extra compensation in the future, even if the actual expenses become greater than the initial settlement.
As you can see, it’s important to consult a personal injury attorney before you accept any settlement offer from the at-fault party’s insurance company or the party liable for the accident. Many personal injury attorneys provide a free consultation that can give you a good idea of the amount of compensation you deserve.
It can also let you know the best way to react to the offered terms for a given settlement. A lawyer can also give you valuable advice regarding the ideal way to proceed with the claim. This can assist you to avoid missing out on the compensation you expect after a serious accident.
The Insurance Company Refuses to Negotiate
You can choose not to get in touch with a personal injury lawyer immediately after getting a settlement offer. However, the first look at the offer can tell you that the money doesn’t reflect the funds you deserve, especially when you consider the extent of your injuries. So it means you rejected the insurance company’s offer, and then you made a counteroffer.
Unfortunately, the insurance company may continue giving low offers that don’t reflect the real expense of your injuries. This is when you need to have a personal injury lawyer to fight on your behalf for the compensation you deserve. If there is a need for the claim to get to court, then a personal injury lawyer can represent you.
During the negotiation process, a lawyer will keep in mind all your needs, and not the insurance company’s needs. Many insurance companies are aware of how easy it can be to take advantage of you if you don’t have a lawyer. So by hiring an experienced personal injury lawyer, the insurance companies can know that you mean business.
Statute of Limitations
Above all, it’s also good to know that different states have specific statutes of limitations. This is the time in which you can file a personal injury claim. This is the reason why it’s quite important to hire a personal injury lawyer quickly before this time elapses to prevent being barred from filing a claim. Check here if you need an Alpharetta personal injury attorney.
If a lot of time passes after the accident, and you have not contacted the liable party or the insurance company, then it’s a good idea to contact a personal injury lawyer to make sure the claim is still valid. This is also why it’s crucial to get in touch with a personal injury attorney immediately after the accident.
Keep in mind that there are also some situations where it doesn’t make sense to hire a personal injury attorney like if you know about insurance. You see, many people out there can figure out how to buy insurance because you can simply go online, get a quote and make premium payments. However, just a few people know how they can use insurance, understand what is covered, or even know how the claims process works.
Even worse, insurance policies can be subject to specific laws depending on jurisdictions where the accident happened and where the at-fault party lives. So if you know how to utilize insurance, the provisions of the contract, and many more, then you can handle the claim yourself.
Even if you sustained severe injuries, you can decide to pursue your claim without an attorney as long as you have enough time to do it. While experience and expertise can usually assist an attorney to do their work efficiently, handling a claim may also be within the scope of your abilities.
You can teach yourself the necessary steps along the way by doing some research and studies, many of the basic tasks include getting relevant documents, making phone calls, and following up on minor details. If you have extra available hours per week to handle your claim, perhaps you can represent yourself after a year or two.
No doubt, being involved in any type of accident can be quite an unpleasant experience. This is when you need a personal injury attorney to guide you through the claim process. They can also tackle some complex issues, protect your rights, and recover the funds to compensate for the losses you incur.
There are also some situations where you can handle the claim process yourself. But if you’re not sure, then it’s a good idea to contact a personal injury attorney for help. If you’re in Missouri, you can try Auto Accident Lawyer Kansas City
Photo by Gustavo Fring
