When you’ve been injured in a car accident, it can be difficult to decide the best course of action to take. Should you hire a personal injury lawyer? Should you try dealing with the insurance company and settle the claim yourself? Should you do anything?
Hiring a personal injury lawyer early in the process following an accident can help in a number of ways. From limiting headaches of the court system, to earning you the best possible settlement, here are just a few of the ways a personal injury lawyer can help you.
The initial benefit of hiring a personal injury lawyer is that you will receive informed direction about how to move forward. Your personal injury lawyer will be able to look at your case and tell you whether or not it’s worth pursuing at all, and will provide clear steps for moving forward in either direction.
Many people think that hiring a personal injury lawyer will mean they have to go to court, and that’s simply not the case. Over 95 percent of pending lawsuits end in a pre-trial settlement. This means that you (the plaintiff) will give up the right to sue in exchange for a payment from the defendant or an insurance company. Over 90 percent of cases that go to trial end in victory for the individual who brought the suit, implying that pre-trial settlements may be in the best interest of defendants who lack strong evidence to defend themselves against the charges that they face. An experienced lawyer will help you negotiate the best possible settlement in the shortest amount of time so you can avoid the frustration and fees of a trial. A seasoned car accident lawyer will also know the typical size and monetary limits of car accident settlements and will provide you with good insight as to whether you should settle or move forward.
Plaintiff’s without a lawyer receive two-thirds lower settlements on average. This is because insurance companies often use similar tactics in order to avoid paying large settlements. Hiring a trusted personal injury lawyer will ensure you have an advocate that understands insurance companies’ tactics and can help you avoid falling victim to them. In addition to dealing with insurance companies, experienced lawyers can deal with healthcare providers to obtain any missing medical records that may support your case.
You may know that you’ve been injured and that you are not at fault, but this doesn’t mean it’s easy to prove your case in court. Your personal injury lawyer will have in-depth knowledge of the local, state, and federal laws and will know what evidence is necessary to obtain in order to prove your case. They will also know how to present this evidence to the court and file the proper paperwork to ensure that the evidence is accepted. Once evidence is gathered, your personal injury lawyer will also be able to organize the specific records and bills that will prove your damages and suffering and maximize the value of your settlement or compensation.
An experienced car accident lawyer will know how to present your case to the court and will likely have experience working with the defendant’s attorney. This experience is critical before and during the trial, specifically during the fact-finding process when documents are exchanged. Dealing with the defendant’s attorney without a lawyer can leave you vulnerable to not receiving all the information you are admitted to have. Going to court with a highly respected lawyer who has worked with the defendant’s lawyer will also result in a smoother trial with less surprises. You should always choose a personal injury lawyer who is highly respected in their community and will work well with other lawyers.
Trust is a necessity in a lawyer-client relationship, and many trusted and experienced personal injury attorneys won’t collect any fees until your case is won. This is called a contingency agreement. Finding a lawyer that operates on this policy is highly favorable and should be considered a necessity when choosing your personal injury lawyer.
Keep in mind that it’s important to choose the right personal injury lawyer for you prior to experiencing a car accident. This will avoid additional frustration and the possibility of ending up with a lawyer who puts their interests in front of yours. If you’ve already been injured in an accident and don’t know what to do, we recommend that you find a trusted personal injury attorney and call them immediately. This will supply you with the professional advice and guidance you need through filing your claim, negotiating a settlement, and if necessary, taking your case to court. More importantly, they will ensure that you are represented fairly and that your best possible outcome is delivered.
