Have you just been involved in a car accident and suffered from physical injury and financial loss as a result? If so, you must be contemplating hiring a car accident lawyer to help you get the compensation you deserve. This isn’t any surprise since after being involved in an accident, you might be unable to work for a period of time and need to spend a considerable sum of money on medical expenses. In addition to the pain and suffering suffered through such a horrific experience, it’s clear that you undoubtedly merit reparation for the damages.
But getting compensated isn’t as straightforward, even if you aren’t seriously injured and can follow up on the matter yourself. In such a case, the right thing to do would be to hire a car accident lawyer. Here’s a detailed look at the benefits of having a car accident attorney working alongside you to ensure you’re compensated.
1. They Have Knowledge of the State Laws
One of the main reasons to consider hiring an attorney from Easton & Easton after a car accident is because these professionals perfectly understand personal injury law and the legal framework. This is vital as you might not be well-versed with the different rules and laws applying to your case. This includes the traffic rules considered when trying to determine who’s at fault for the accident and the process of filing a lawsuit, and the set deadlines.
Car accident lawyers are both knowledgeable and experienced in all the laws relating to a vehicular accident. Knowing this, they’re in a position to;
- Show the laws that were violated by the person responsible for the accident
- Prove how such an infringement led to the accident
- How the party at fault is liable for any injury or damages, you suffered.
Hiring a car accident attorney also ensures you file the personal injury claim within the appropriate statute of limitations. Otherwise, not doing this within the required timeframe might lead to you losing the right to seek compensation.
2. Deal With Insurers
Most insurance companies strive to lower the monetary payouts whenever they get a chance. Therefore, they won’t be hesitant to employ devious tactics to either belittle or deny your compensation claim altogether. For this reason, you should always have a car accident lawyer next to you when writing a statement with the insurance company covering the at-fault party.
A car accident attorney will ensure you say your statements in a manner that won’t come back and haunt you when seeking compensation. This is often a tactic that many insurance companies use to prove why they shouldn’t pay a penny. They do this by asking tricky questions and then use your statement against you by taking it out of context. However, an excellent lawyer tells you what details you should provide when recording a statement. This ensures you don’t say something that might jeopardize your right to being compensated.
3. Gather Evidence
You’ll need to have sufficient proof to show you’re the victim following a vehicle accident. This includes;
- Police reports on the crash
- Pictures from the scene of the accident, such as skid marks
- Testimonials from eyewitnesses
- Medical records showing the extent of your injuries
- Statement from the accident reconstruction professional
- Surveillance by traffic cameras on the accident
- Video footage from nearby businesses
Such details are vital when seeking compensation after a car accident. A professional car accident attorney will help you collect all this evidence swiftly before it vanishes. These experts can also issue subpoenas to access the information you wouldn’t have gotten by yourself, such as street footage and phone records. Such crucial pieces of evidence are usually hard or impossible to get without subpoenas despite being critical in your fight for your deserved compensation.
4. Prove Liability
For you to be compensated after an accident, you must prove that it’s the other party’s fault or negligence that led to the crash. A professional attorney can capably do this while collecting evidence to show the injures you’ve sustained aren’t your fault but that of the other driver. They do this by bringing forward four elements to prove the fault of negligence which are;
- The at-fault party is obliged to care for your safety
- The at-fault driver violated their duty
- The injuries have led you to suffer financial loss
- Your injuries were due to the at-fault party’s breach of duty
5. Negotiate For a Fair Settlement
Calculating how much money to be compensated isn’t that simple as numerous factors need to be considered. But with a skilled car accident attorney, this shouldn’t be an issue as they know how to value your personal injury claim correctly. Therefore, you’re assured of getting the compensation that is enough to cover all the costs caused by your injuries. To do this, the lawyer considers several factors, including;
- Your current medical bills after the accident
- The future medical costs as a result of the accident, such as surgery and therapy
- The emotional cost due to the pain and suffering you’ve gone through
- Lost wages due to having to spend time away from work as your injuries still don’t allow you to work
- The repair and replacement costs covering property damage such as your car suffered during the accident
- Lost earnings due to your inability to work in the future due to the sustained injuries
Having the guidance of a lawyer ensures you never settle your claim early on before fully understanding how the extent of your injuries exactly affects your job and everyday life after that. If you accept an early settlement, you give up your rights to ever demand extra money to cover the future costs resulting from the accident. You should prevent finding yourself in such a position by working alongside a car accident lawyer at all times to ensure you don’t lose out on money.
Takeaway
If you, unfortunately, get involved in an accident, the right thing to do is hire a car accident lawyer as they’re familiar with the various types of vehicular accidents. With their skills and experience, the attorney will help you while pursuing a claim for your damages and injuries. After reading this blog, you now clearly understand why you should always hire a car accident attorney right after getting involved in an auto accident.
