Unfortunately, car accidents are all too common, and in the United States alone, approximately 13 car accidents occur each minute, and almost 5 million people are seriously injured each year.
These injuries have life-changing consequences, often impacting your career, income potential, and overall health. If you’ve been in an accident, you’re likely wondering if it’s worth talking with a car accident lawyer.
The truth is, hiring a car accident lawyer has many hidden benefits most people don’t consider.
Keep reading this guide to learn the top 12 benefits of hiring a car accident lawyer to see how it can help your situation!
1. In-Depth Understanding of Car Accident Laws
Car accident laws can be extremely complicated to understand. These laws also vary for each state and can change depending on your situation.
Most people aren’t familiar with car accident laws and how they can impact the outcome. What’s more, if you don’t have an attorney, you must navigate the legal world alone and struggle to understand different legal terms.
Car accident attorneys have many years of education and experience, so they understand the complexities of these laws.
This allows an attorney to give you the best legal advice for your situation. They can also evaluate your case based on the laws and get a good understanding of the type of compensation you may be entitled to.
Most of this comes down to determining negligence in a car accident. When you get legal help immediately, you’ll boost your chances of having a successful outcome.
You can visit alphaaccidentlawyers.com to learn more.
2. Prevents You From Harming Your Case
Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to say or do something that harms your auto accident case. For example, your insurance company may want you to make a recorded statement about what happened.
However, if you disclose too many details or say the wrong thing about your injuries, the insurance company can use it against you to avoid paying compensation. Some insurance companies are known for asking difficult questions that catch people off guard.
When you hire an attorney, you hire experienced representation for your case. This means that your attorney will be the one that handles everything, including your insurance company.
Accident attorneys are used to dealing with insurance companies and know exactly what to say to help your case.
3. Works On a Contingency Fee Basis
Most of the time, attorneys charge hourly fees. In addition to hourly fees, you can expect to pay a retainer fee upfront. This fee secures the lawyer’s services but doesn’t represent the total cost of the services.
Retainer fees are usually equivalent to a few hours of work, and the lawyer will bill you for the rest of the hours.
However, contingency fees are completely different than this. Contingency fees are common with all personal injury cases. With this type of payment structure, you’ll only pay fees if you win the case and get a settlement.
The fees you pay will be a percentage of the settlement you receive. The fee will be around 30 to 40% on average, but this varies depending on your case. You’ll need to talk to your attorney about these fees in detail.
The great thing about contingency fees is they allow you to get the best attorney without worrying about money. Additionally, you won’t have to pay any fees if you don’t win your case.
4. Has Plenty of Experience
Car accident attorneys have a wealth of experience dealing with car accident injury cases. Not only do they know the laws, but they know exactly how a case should work from beginning to end.
Additionally, car accident lawyers have an in-depth understanding of the typical injuries involved. They know how cases usually play out and can use this experience to guide you.
Remember to do your research when looking for an attorney. Check for experience, and don’t be afraid to ask plenty of questions.
5. Investigates Accident Negligence
Negligence is the failure to meet the same standard of behavior as a reasonable person would. This translates to a person totally disregarding the consequences of their actions.
No matter what state you live in and the laws you must follow, you must prove negligence.
According to the law, negligence claims in court have to prove that the accident was caused by careless behavior that resulted in harm. You also have to prove these damages and harm.
The tricky thing about negligence is at first glance, it may seem the other driver is at fault without question. This is especially true if the driver was texting and driving or speeding before the accident. However, if you were also engaging in these behaviors, you could be found at fault too.
A car accident attorney will ensure they can prove negligence so you get the compensation you deserve.
6. Finds More Evidence
One of the biggest benefits of having a car accident lawyer is that they will work hard to find more evidence to support your case. They’re much like investigators and can track down evidence you may not consider while at the accident scene.
Finding as much evidence as possible is critical to proving the other driver was negligent. Your attorney will collect evidence like:
- Witness testimonies
- Police reports
- Accident scene pictures and videos
- Accident scene investigations
- Medical records
They’ll also involve experts if necessary. For example, proving negligence may include accident reconstruction. This is a process used to determine the contributing factors and other circumstances associated with the accident.
It can help determine various factors in accidents like speed and braking distances.
Attorneys will also locate expert witnesses to testify on your behalf. These witnesses can be accident experts or medical experts like a doctor.
Overall, hiring an accident attorney can make all the difference in the outcome of your case.
7. Can Help Increase Settlement Amount
Car accident lawyers can look at your entire case and easily determine how much compensation you may be able to recover.
They can also identify areas where you could get more compensation. First, if you’ve had serious injuries, you should get more compensation for that. This is because the compensation should include future medical care, therapies, and how the injury will impact your life.
If your injuries are severe, you may not be able to return to the same job. In this case, the settlement amount will include past and future lost wages.
Pain and suffering also play a part in compensation. Damages are usually calculated by factors like:
- Level of pain
- Loss of enjoyment in life
- Total economic loss
- Loss of relationships
- Past and future income potential
Emotional trauma following the accident also significantly affects the settlement amount. In fact, car accidents are one of the leading causes of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Although it’s normal to feel different emotions like shock, grief, and fear after an accident, having PTSD means these feelings don’t resolve over time. With PTSD, these feelings worsen and can seriously impact your life.
Many people with PTSD fear driving and avoid any type of social situation.
As a result, you can also get more compensation for conditions like PTSD.
8. Improves Your Odds of Winning
Working with a car accident attorney greatly improves your odds of getting a fair settlement.
Remember, insurance companies want to pay the least amount possible for a claim. They’ll usually conduct their own accident investigation, interview witnesses, and assess your damages. Sometimes they may even deny paying any compensation altogether.
In addition, the other driver will do what it takes to pay as little as possible.
If you’re handling your own accident case, the odds are stacked against you.
Remember, the effects of some injuries last a lifetime. The last thing you need is an insurance company or another attorney to minimize your pain and suffering.
9. Offers Free Consultations
If you’ve never worked with a lawyer, you may not realize you can meet multiple lawyers for a free consultation.
Personal injury lawyers, like car accident lawyers, offer free consultations. This allows you to meet with a lawyer for a free case evaluation. The evaluation also ensures that you’re following the statute of limitations for your case.
Each state has a specific time limit that allows you to file a lawsuit after the accident. You’ll know exactly how long you have to file a case and get compensation.
You’ll also get a good idea of the strength of your case and the lawyer’s overall experience.
If you’re uncomfortable with one lawyer, you can always meet with another for free. This allows you to find an attorney with experience that you can have a good rapport with.
10. Helps With Health Insurance Expenses and Medical Liens
Dealing with your health insurance company can become complicated quickly after an accident. If you have an injury, your health insurance will typically pick up the expenses initially.
However, health insurance companies will also seek reimbursement once you receive a car accident settlement. Health insurance companies will issue a medical lien or repayment demand in some states.
Both public and private medical insurance can issue medical liens, including Medicaid, Medicare, and VA insurance.
Having all these liens can make it difficult to get proper compensation since you need to repay the medical expenses. A car accident attorney can negotiate the cost of these medical bills to reduce the amount you owe.
You may have other reimbursement issues depending on the state you live in. For example, car insurance medical coverage in some states may demand reimbursement.
Overall, a car accident attorney will walk you through this process and ensure you get the best settlement possible.
11. Experts in Negotiations
Car accident lawyers are experts at negotiating. An insurance company can initially deny your claim, but an accident attorney may still be able to negotiate a settlement.
They’re even able to do this with the other driver involved. For example, if the at-fault driver also has an attorney, your attorney can discuss a settlement to avoid trial.
Additionally, many cases go through mediation before trial. Professional mediators will hear from both sides of the case and review the evidence presented. They serve as an objective party in these cases and can often resolve the case so it doesn’t go any further.
Car accident lawyers have experience working with mediators and will be able to represent your interests during mediation. Ultimately, their negotiating skills will get you a fair settlement.
12. Will Represent You In Court
Although most car accident cases are settled out of court, sometimes negotiations fail, and the case goes to trial. If this occurs, your car accident lawyer will prepare you for trial and take you through each step.
Personal accident trials, like car accidents, involve different phases.
The discovery phase takes place before the actual trial. During this phase, you and the defendant will exchange information. This information includes all the evidence your attorney has collected, like medical documents and accident photos.
Both parties will get the opportunity to review the evidence and request more if necessary. This process also involves having witnesses and other third parties testify.
Ongoing negotiations also occur during this phase. The at-fault driver may agree to settle based on certain evidence.
If you can’t reach a settlement, the case will move forward with jury selection. Once the jury is selected, you’ll make opening statements and present evidence.
You’ll also have to deal with closing arguments and jury deliberations.
Remember, going to trial is a lengthy process. In some cases, it can take up to a year. You may also experience frequent delays along the way for various reasons.
Having a car accident attorney you’re comfortable with will make going to trial much more manageable.
Hire a Car Accident Lawyer for Your Case
Knowing the benefits of hiring a car accident lawyer will help you feel more confident about taking the next steps.
Remember, car accident lawyers typically offer free consultations. It’s always a good idea to meet with an attorney to get an idea if it’s worth pursuing a settlement. You can always take some time after the consultation to decide if you want to move forward.
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