Car Accident Lawyer
Research shows that motor vehicle crashes in America cost more than $240 billion per year. This includes the cost of property damage and personal injury treatment. It’s critical that you hire a car accident lawyer to protect your rights and finances, following a crash. To go more in-depth, here are seven reasons why working with a car accident lawyer is so valuable.
1. Provides Legal Knowledge
One of the top reasons to hire a car accident lawyer is because a reputable attorney is highly knowledgeable about the law.
Without a deep understanding of how the legal system works, it will be very difficult to obtain the best outcome in a personal injury case. In addition, there are deadlines that must be met and paperwork that must be filed without error in order to prevent your case from being dismissed.
For example, some may be familiar with California’s statute of limitations that allows someone to file a claim against another person within a two-year time frame. However, do you know if the statute changes if a government vehicle (garbage truck, postal service delivery truck, etc.) is involved? Or, what if a minor caused the car accident–does the statute still apply?
An experienced car accident lawyer can assist you in identifying laws that are relevant to your wreck. Your attorney will also show you how your local civil court system interprets these laws. The attorney will then advise you on the best way to proceed with a personal injury claim.
Due to their industry knowledge, an attorney can increase your chances of winning your case. This will result in receiving the full compensation to which you are entitled following your injury collision.
2. Determines Compensation Amount
Another reason to hire a car accident attorney is that they can help you to determine an appropriate compensation amount to pursue as part of your claim.
Your targeted settlement amount may change as your case progresses and as medical treatment continues. The misconception is that compensation should only cover costs that have already accumulated.
However, compensation should also include anticipated medical expenses, along with any other costs that may be needed due to the injury. This can include physical therapy, changes to the home to accommodate a wheelchair, in-home care, or income if the injury created a temporary/permanent disability.
Car accidents can affect the entire body, so treatment to prevent further injury is essential. However, costs can add up, and these expenses could be related to the shoulder, knee, head, back, neck, or other parts of your body.
To present proof of how expensive treatment is, an attorney can subpoena the healthcare provider for records of your expenses. These certified records can then be presented at trial.
An experienced lawyer will also help you to pursue other types of compensation for car repairs, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium.
3. Produces Strong Evidence
A car accident attorney can furthermore help you following a car collision by generating evidence that supports your personal injury claim.
A dependable attorney will thoroughly investigate your accident to gather enough evidence to link the accident to your injuries. This collected evidence will be useful for proving your car accident claim to the involved auto insurance companies and in civil court if needed.
Evidence that might help you to win your case includes the following:
- Medical tests and scans
- Medical records
- Eye-witness statements
- Police reports
- Car repair quotes from body shops
- Cell phone photographs
- Pictures and videos from the scene of the accident
- Intersection video footage
An attorney may also enlist the help of a reconstruction expert to determine what led to the crash, including who was truly at fault in the accident.
4. Handles Court Case Filing Process
Let’s say your settlement negotiations don’t work out after an accident. In this situation, an attorney can help you to file a civil court claim. This is different from a criminal case, and instead, allows the plaintiff to seek damages from the party they believed caused the car crash.
The person who reportedly caused your crash and their insurer may attempt to dissuade you from filing a lawsuit against them. However, a seasoned attorney won’t feel pressured to fold. Instead, an attorney can confirm how much your case is worth and when it is best to settle and when it’s best to proceed with a lawsuit.
In addition, the attorney will make sure that the necessary documentation is submitted as part of the claim filing process.
5. Conducts Communication with Insurance Companies
Hiring a car crash attorney is also helpful in that you don’t have to deal with insurance companies on your own. Insurance adjusters are difficult to deal with. They are even more difficult to deal with when your health is not at its best.
An insurance company may persuade a victim into accepting an unfair settlement, because insurers are more focused on profitability. Therefore, instead of paying with is rightfully owed, they will apply tactics that deceive injured car accident victims into settling too soon.
However, a lawyer can deal with insurance company negotiations and avoid any misleading information from interfering with your decision. When a car accident lawyer is leading negotiations with insurers, victims are more likely to obtain maximum compensation.
6. Establishing Liability
Another reason why hiring an experienced attorney is important is because they know how to prove that the other driver who was involved in your crash was at fault in the crash.
When proving fault, an attorney will utilize their legal team to prove fault. This can be accomplished by indicating how the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care to not cause the accident. When a duty of care is breached and is evident, liability on the at-fault party is established.
As part of this process, the attorney will demonstrate that you suffered injuries and other losses as a result of the other driver’s actions. The attorney may refer to previous citations and cases to support your case.
7. Settlement Explanations
A car accident lawyer will help you to evaluate your case value and maximize your settlement. This is important given that many car crash cases end up settling rather than going to trial.
Settling is acceptable, but it’s vital to understand the worth of your car accident case. This is because once you settle, you cannot pursue further damages in the future. An attorney will confirm whether or not the proposed settlement will be enough to cover your economic damages and non-economic damages.
If the insurance company is unwilling to settle for an appropriate amount, your lawyer may advise proceeding with a lawsuit. If the case does go to trial, a judge and jury will decide how much you should be compensated. An experienced attorney with proven courtroom success would only propose this option if they were confident in winning your car accident case.
How a Car Accident Lawyer from Our Firm Can Help
At Sierra Accident Lawyers, we realize how scary getting into a car accident can be. For this reason, we’re committed to providing you with prompt legal guidance and representation.
The sooner you can work with a car accident lawyer at our firm, the sooner you can receive the compensation you deserve for your accident-related damages. We offer free case evaluations so that you can determine upfront what to expect from your unique case.
Get in touch with us to learn more about how we can protect your rights following your car crash.
