Are you curious to know when to contact a lawyer after a car accident? Here’s what you need to know.
Generally, in the aftermath of a car accident, it can be difficult to know what steps to take.
One of the most important decisions you may have to make is to contact a lawyer as soon as the accident happens.
You can also represent yourself, but it is ideal to contact and work with a lawyer, which will allow you to focus on your recovery will save you time.
Many crash victims work with car accident lawyers who can build their cases and negotiate settlements or take their cases to trial. A lawyer can explain complex legal concepts and manage all the details of your claim or lawsuit.
Let’s delve into understanding when to contact a lawyer after a car accident.
When to contact a lawyer
It is advisable that you contact a car accident attorney as soon as possible after a car accident. Even discussing the details of your accident with your own insurance company could jeopardize your right to recover compensation for all your damages.
Here’s when it may be time to contact a car accident lawyer:
1. If you have serious or personal injuries
2. If the other driver doesn’t have insurance
3. If the other driver doesn’t stop after the accident
4. Should insurance companies choose not to be on your side for insurance claim
5. Your lawyer can help you by knowing the kind of evidence to gather
Why You Should Consider Contacting A Lawyer Right Away
When the accident happens and you decide to contact a lawyer or hire an attorney right away, the reason is that insurance companies use manipulative tactics to reduce payouts to protect their own interests.
They do this to delay your claim, for you to accept a low offer, since you are left with no choice but to accept it.
When you have a lawyer on your side from the beginning, this will not be a problem.
The law firm handles all communication with the insurer, protecting your rights and ensuring you do not fall victim to any of their tactics to reduce the value of your case.
Not only can a lawyer protect your rights from day one, but they also gather evidence.
Some evidence that they can use to document faults and liability in a crash disappears quickly. The sooner your lawyer can identify and preserve this evidence, the better.
How Insurance Companies Act on Delays
Low Settlement Amount
They propose a low settlement amount for you to accept as one of their tactics. So don’t quickly accept an insurance settlement before you know the extent of your damage.
Accepting the low offer from the insurance company means you agreed to their terms and conditions, including their offer.
There is no going back to demanding more compensation should your injuries be way worse than you expected. That is the reason why you need a skilled lawyer to fight for every penny of your hard-earned money.
Deceptive Recorded Statements
It is advisable and recommended that you do not provide any recorded statements to the insurance adjuster because they can use your statement against you and can manipulate and worsen things for you.
While questioning you, they may ask questions that may seem harmless and easy to answer, but if care is not taken while answering the questions, it may affect your claim negatively.
That is why you need a car accident lawyer with you to help you claim your rights, because they know the deceptive methods insurance companies use.
Social Media Monitoring
Posting pictures of the whole scenarios on social media may stand as a wall or excuses to deny or reduce your claims, for they may tend to use them against you. So, avoid doing that to be on the safer side.
Risks Attached to a Delay in Calling a Lawyer
Failure to meet deadlines leads to the loss of entitlements.
One of the risks attached to the delay in calling a lawyer for your car accident is failure to meet deadlines, which leads to the loss of entitlements, which is the deadline to file a legal claim to pursue entitlements.
But if you fail to file it on time, you could lose your chance. So, make sure to do the right thing on time to avoid losing your entitlements.
Delayed In Receiving Treatment Invalidate Claims
Delay in receiving treatment can give insurers reason to invalidate your claims. If you miss your medical appointments, they may argue that your injuries were not as fatal as you claim.
Benefits of Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer
When you hire a lawyer, you will see many benefits to having legal representation.
Identifying, documenting, and quantifying accident-related damages is often one of the most difficult parts of handling a case on your own. When you hire a car accident attorney, you do not have to worry about this. They know how to determine the recoverable damages in your case and assign an appropriate case value. Some of your recoverable damages may include:
- Economic expenses such as medical bills and car repairs
- Future medical care costs
- Income losses, often from time missed at work
- Diminished earning capacity
- Non-economic damage, including pain and suffering
- Wrongful death damages if the client’s loved one died from their injuries
In Conclusion
Contacting a car accident lawyer as soon as possible after the accident occurs is the best thing you can do for yourself to save yourself. If you need help involving car accidents, reach out to a car accident lawyer to help solve your case, as they understand how important it is for clients to feel confident and informed throughout their legal process.
They are committed to providing responsive and consistent communication so that their clients always know what is happening with their case. Whether it is a simple question or a complex issue, they will take their time to listen and provide clear answers.
