8 Reasons Why You Should Hire an Attorney Following a Car Crash

March 28, 2013 | Car Accidents

Imagine you are driving down the highway headed to work on a clear Monday morning. Traffic is slowing ahead of you, and you start to tap your brakes in response. After your car comes to a complete stop, you feel a jolt of energy from behind. You’ve been rear-ended in a car accident.

Following the crash, your left arm goes numb and you experience a pounding headache. You feel sore and confused, but common sense reminds you to call 911 and report the accident. Your car is damaged, and you fear you may be injured too. You have been the victim of someone else’s negligence. Should you contact a Missouri injury attorney?

What will an injury attorney do for you?

A personal injury attorney will get to know the details of your case. He or she will order your police report and your relevant medical records to use as evidence. Your attorney will make sense of the pertinent insurance policies applicable to your case, and he or she will fight to get you the most money possible for the damages you have had to suffer.

Reason #1

An Injury Attorney Knows the Laws

An injury attorney will guarantee that you are not taken advantage of by the legal system or by insurance companies. Injury attorneys know the laws applicable to your case. If your crash was a Missouri crash, you normally have five years to file a lawsuit against the other driver and their attorney. A personal injury lawyer will make sure the statute of limitations does not run out before your suit is filed.

Reason #2

The Other Driver’s Insurance Company Will Try to Take Advantage of You

Chances are the at-fault party’s insurance company will try to jerk you around. They will promise reimbursement for medical bills, vehicle repair, or car rentals. Unfortunately, though, without an attorney to hold them accountable for these promises, insurance companies usually end up refusing reimbursements. Most car accident victims complain that they have had to assume responsibility for bills that were supposed to be paid by an insurance company. An injury lawyer will end this abuse, by holding insurance adjusters accountable for their promises. Adjusters do not like personal injury attorneys, because they cost them money.

Reason #3

Your own Insurance Company Will Try to Take Advantage of You

If you accept a settlement with the at-fault driver’s insurance company on your own, your own insurance will probably deny you of your applicable medical payments coverage. A personal injury attorney will demand that your insurance company plays fair and that you are adequately reimbursed for your damages.

Reason #4

Injury Attorney’s Do the Work For You

After an auto accident, there is a lot of paperwork a crash victim is required to fill out and turn in on a strict timeline. Similarly, statements must be made, records, and bills may need to be ordered and delivered. The car crash victim will probably be contacted by representatives of the at-fault party’s insurance company, who will sneakily try to talk the victim into a corner, obtaining a statement wherein the victim may relinquish the other party’s fault.

If you have a personal injury lawyer, this work will be avoided. The attorney will take care of your paperwork, he or she will order your records, bills, and police report, and correspond with both insurance companies for you. While a personal injury attorney does the work, you can simply focus on recovering and moving on from the crash.

Reason #5

An Injury Attorney Can Use the Laws to Your Benefit

The victim of a car accident will need to pay back his or her health insurance company for all related medical bills that they have paid on their behalf. Similarly, the victim will be responsible for unpaid medical bills following the crash. A personal injury attorney can often use statutes to get all of the accident-related bills reduced so that the victim ends up owing significantly less money. An injury lawyer will make sure that you walk away with the most money possible.

Reason #6

An Injury Attorney Will Keep Organized Records, Which will Increase your Settlement Offer

Injury attorneys will order ALL of the medical records and bills relating to your car crash. They will sift through the pages, make sense of diagnosis codes, and neatly compile all of the codes and treatment details into a settlement offer to the insurance companies. This organized method keeps the insurance company’s honest and fair in their settlement offers.

Reason #7

Your Injury Attorney Will Likely Be Willing to Try your Case if Your Settlement Offer is too Low

If the at-fault insurance company tries to settle for a low amount (an amount near what you probably would have accepted had you not decided on an injury attorney) a personal injury attorney will most likely take this case to trial. A diligent, aggressive injury lawyer, will be willing to stand up to insurance companies. He or she will prepare your case for a jury trial, where you stand to obtain even more money. This option would potentially be open to you if you choose to be represented by a personal injury attorney.

Reason #8

An Injury Attorney Ensures Peace of Mind

An experienced injury attorney will make sure you have peace of mind. If you choose to settle with the at-fault party’s insurance company on your own, you may find out later that you were entitled to significantly more money in damages. Unfortunately, after a settlement offer is agreed to, you will be out of luck. The at-fault insurance company will ALWAYS try to minimize their own damages and costs, at your expense. An injury attorney will give you the peace of mind you want after a crash, by ensuring that you walk away with the most money possible.

So, Should you Settle or Get a Lawyer?

It is in your best interest to use a personal injury lawyer. At the very least, it is a smart move to run the details of your case by an experienced attorney before you commit to anything. Following the devastation of a crash, the sound advice of an injury attorney can be invaluable.