After you’re involved in a car accident, you may have many thoughts running through your mind. It’s normal to be stressed, anxious, or unsure of what to do after such a devastating occurrence.
Many may suggest hiring a personal injury lawyer to help with your case. But how are you supposed to know when you should hire one and when you shouldn’t?
In general, an experienced car accident attorney can help you get the most compensation possible for your auto accident claim. However, in a few circumstances, you may not need one.
Use this guide to help you determine whether or not you should hire an auto accident attorney for your car accident claim.
You Should Hire an Experienced Car Accident Attorney If…
In many circumstances, hiring a personal injury lawyer will always benefit you. For example, they will negotiate a higher settlement offer on your behalf. But you won’t have to worry about speaking with insurance companies. As a result, you can instead focus fully on recovering from your injuries.
You Have to Negotiate with the Insurance Company
If you need to negotiate with an insurance company, you’ll be much better off leaving it in the hands of experienced attorneys. Our attorneys here at The Eberst Law Firm have years of experience negotiating with insurance companies on our client’s behalf.
Insurance companies handle many car accident claims every day. And they’re very good at dismissing a personal injury claim and paying less than what they’re worth. They’ll always work the system in their favor, leaving you with the short end of the stick.
To ensure that you get the compensation that you deserve, you should take a look at how to find a car accident lawyer and involve them as soon as possible.
Your Injuries are Severe or Expensive
Injuries associated with car accidents can be expensive, increasing in cost the more severe they are. While some people may only have minor injuries as a result of the accident, other people aren’t as lucky.
Severe injuries like traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injuries may result in tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical debt, depending on how long treatment is required. In some serious cases, treatment is lifelong.
If you have injuries that are severe or expensive (likely both), hiring an experienced car accident attorney is essential. Insurance companies will always try to pay you less. Without a good attorney, you won’t have much luck arguing your case on your own.
You’re Not at Fault
When another party is at fault for the accident, you’ll have to deal with their insurance company on top of your own. Your attorney will deal with both insurance companies and investigate the accident to determine how the at-fault party caused the accident. If you’re injured because of someone else’s negligence, hiring an attorney is the best way to ensure that you get the most compensation and justice for the accident.
You May Not Need a Car Accident Attorney If…
In certain cases, hiring an experienced car accident attorney after a car accident is unnecessary. More often than not, if you have damages of any kind, you’ll want to hire a personal injury lawyer to ensure that you get the most money possible.
For some injury victims, they won’t happen to have high damages to worry about. In this case, you may be able to avoid hiring an attorney. Instead, work one-on-one with your insurance company.
You Aren’t Injured
If you weren’t injured in the accident, it’s unlikely that you’ll have high damages. If you don’t have any damages, there isn’t really anything for you to file a lawsuit over.
Unless there’s damage to your vehicle that your own insurance plan won’t cover, you likely won’t need an attorney if you weren’t injured in your accident.
You Don’t Have High Damages
You won’t need an attorney by your side if there aren’t high damages associated with your case because of:
- medical bills
- change to your quality of life
- loss of consortium
- lost wages
Lawsuits are filed to help people get the compensation that they deserve for their damages. If there are little to no damages, you likely won’t need to file a lawsuit. Consequently, the money that you get from the insurance company will be sufficient.
How Do You Benefit From Hiring an Experienced Car Accident Attorney?
Each year, there are 33,244 fatalities because of car accidents. Additionally, there are over two million accidents that result in serious or life-changing accidents. A lot of these people don’t get the compensation that they deserve. However, by hiring a personal injury lawyer, you can be certain that your case will be taken care of.
Your personal injury attorneys will:
- investigate your case to determine liability
- negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf
- keep tabs on your medical treatment
- take your car accident claim to trial, if needed
Schedule a Free Case Evaluation at The Eberst Law Firm
If you or someone you love has been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Florida, please contact our talented team of attorneys. We are experts in personal injury law who advocate fiercely for our clients. To schedule a free case evaluation or receive more information, contact us online or at 772-225-4900.