How you choose to deal with the aftermath of a car accident involves crucial choices that can have a lasting impact on your life. You must choose if and when you seek medical help. You must decide whether you will accept an insurance settlement or decline it. You must decide whether you will consult with an injury lawyer before you even talk with an insurance agency. Oftentimes, trying to deal with the insurance company by yourself is a mistake.
Insurance agencies are profit-driven organizations. Their motivation is to make the company more money by decreasing expenses, which is often in the form of settlements. Thus, insurance companies are reluctant to pay out significant amounts of money in a settlement and will do their best to find reasons not to pay what you legitimately deserve. Having a lawyer on your side can be key in preserving your rights and making sure you get fair compensation.
Motivations for Hiring an Injury Lawyer
According to Kissimmee car accident lawyer Walter Benenati, vehicular accidents often lead to the most serious injuries. Hiring a lawyer as soon as possible will help maximize your chances of getting compensation for the total cost of treatment for your injuries and any lost wages you incurred.
Injury lawyers are crucial in providing the following:
- Advice – From the second you are involved in a car accident, regardless of who was at fault, you will require sound legal advice on what to do and how to proceed with an insurance claim. They will be able to counsel you on how to answer insurance company questions and what your next steps should be.
- Direction –Car accident claims are dealt with in one of two different ways. Accidents involving minor gashes are generally dealt with under the no-fault framework, meaning your insurance compensates you for expenses arising from the accident. Crash victims with aggravated injuries qualify to seek extra remuneration through a typical personal injury litigation process.
- Communication – When you retain an injury lawyer, they become your spokesperson and are responsible for handling all correspondences related to the accident on your behalf. These correspondences may be either with the insurance agencies involved or the local authorities investigating the crash, or any other party interested in the accident.
- Investigation— In some cases, crash scene investigators are enlisted to help re-create the events leading to the accident to try and determine where the fault lies. Your injury lawyer has all the skills and experience necessary to follow the investigation, ensuring that the outcome is without bias with a fair settlement in the end.
- Evaluation – The amount of compensation you are entitled to will largely depend on the injuries suffered due to the accident and the effect of those injuries on your everyday routine. Often, the insurance company responsible for your compensation will challenge the gravity of the injuries suffered and how they impact your life. The insurance company will also try to play down the medical costs incurred due to the accident to compensate you less than you deserve.
- Negotiation— The majority of car accident claims are settled through arbitration (pre-trial negotiations). A majority of car accident victims have neither the skill nor the experience dealing with the pre-trial negotiations hence the importance of a personal injury lawyer. These negotiations are typically technical, and a crash victim may not even understand the talks’ terminology.
- Advocacy—Although most car crash suits settle out of court, some end up in the courthouse. If this happens to be the case, you will need an attorney to represent your interests before the judge and any jury members. In any case, you can be sure that the insurance company will have their best attorneys to represent them.
Conclusion
By seeking legal representation from a competent personal injury lawyer who understands your constitutional rights, you get to have an ally who understands the law and will put your interests first. While you may have a valid accident insurance cover, some claims’ compensation may not be straightforward and may end up in a court of law. It’s best if you have a personal injury lawyer by your side.
