Should You Hire A Lawyer After A Car Accident?

The question of whether or not you should hire a lawyer for your car accident case is as old as car accidents themselves. While there are many reasons why you should hire a lawyer to represent you and guide you through the rough terrain of personal injury claims and compensation, there are many others who argue against these bevies of advantages on account of the cost associated with hiring an attorney.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident, there are a few decisions that you can make to enhance the chances of winning the deserved amount in compensation and one of those decisions involves hiring a lawyer.

Hiring a lawyer not only increases the chances of getting the deserved amount in compensation but also ensures that you take the right steps when due to ensure that your case progresses as it should. You should also remember that insurance companies are in the business of making profits and protecting their interests, this means that you are going up against an established company that has all of the legal aid needed to ensure that you do not get a dime in compensation for your injuries as well as your pain and suffering.

If you are considering the reasons why you need to hire a lawyer after you have been involved in a car accident, below are some of the top reasons cited by the Lamber Goodnow Injury Team.

- Legal deadlines

Legal deadlines are also known as statutes of limitations. The legal deadline for each case is different and these deadlines have been set to ensure the preservation of evidence to back cases that are brought up before the law court. For most personal injury cases, the victim has a grace period of no more than 2 years from the time of the accident to act on the case by filing a personal injury claims case.

Hiring an attorney can help you to fast-track the process of filing a personal injury claim which ensures that you do not lose out on the chance to collect compensation for the damages you have suffered on account of another person’s negligence. Furthermore, a personal injury lawyer is familiar with the process of filing personal injury claims and this means that they know when to submit certain files to the court to ensure the smooth processing of the claims.

- Preserving evidence 

One of the very important parts of your personal injury case is the evidence. The more the evidence collected, the higher the chances of getting the best possible results. However, evidence may diminish in quality over time and that is one of the reasons why hiring a personal injury lawyer is essential towards the success of your case.

By hiring a personal injury lawyer, you can rest assured that they will work closely with qualified investigators who will go to great lengths to ensure that pieces of evidence that prove the at-fault party is liable for your injuries and damages are obtained.

One major example is video surveillance. Your personal injury lawyer can work closely with investigators to ensure that video surveillance footage from businesses nearby the accident scene is collected and preserved as evidence to back your personal injury claims up.

Another example could be in the form of preservation of skid marks and other roadway evidence. With help from your personal injury lawyers who will work closely with other investigative experts, you stand a chance to better protect these pieces of evidence which will be vital in the overall presentation of your case.

- Medical treatment

One of the areas that are often overlooked during a personal injury accident is medical treatment. As an injured victim, you stand a chance of losing the right to demand compensation if you fail to seek appropriate medical help or you fail to follow the doctor’s instructions.

Hiring a personal injury lawyer helps you to stay in line with the legal aspect of your obligation as a claimant. In addition to offering you guidance on the dos and don’ts of a personal injury case, your personal injury lawyer can also offer recommendations of medical experts to see in order to hasten your recovery.

Please note that your personal injury lawyer is more than just your legal aid, he or she will also look out for you to ensure that you get the proper treatments necessary for the injuries that you have suffered as well as the complications that arose due to the injuries.

- Witnesses

As an accident victim, especially in the event of a fatal accident that has led to permanent injuries, the chances of being able to interview witnesses at the scene of the accident may be ruled out completely for you based on your health condition. Your attorney, on the other hand, has the obligation to collect all the relevant evidence available to support your claim and will not hesitate to reach out to eyewitnesses to ensure that their account of the accident is obtained and recorded.

Your personal injury lawyer will handle both the leg work and paperwork needed to ensure that your case is tightly packed.

- Helps to avoid falling prey to insurance company’s tricks

Insurance companies are in the business of making a profit and will see your personal injury claim as a threat to their profit. This threat can be quenched in a lot of ways, especially if you fall victim to the antics and tricks used.

Your personal injury lawyer is in the best position to help you to identify these tricks and wade them off. Some of the common tricks insurance companies present include;

- Pretending that they do not carry the responsibility of paying for the accident victim’s medical bills from the accident

- Offering early settlements to car accident victims before the full medical report of their injuries has been released.

- Trying to get the accident victim to waive their right to compensation

- Claiming that the car accident didn’t cause the injuries reported by the accident victim

- Using normal pleasantries against the claimant

- Pressure the claimant into accepting an early settlement deal that is worth less than the amount deserved.