A lot of people decide to hire an accident attorney after they’ve been involved a car crash that leaves them injured or causes them to sustain financial losses. Knowing what to look for in an attorney is just as important as knowing whether you should look at getting representation at all.
Should You Hire a Car Accident Attorney?
You don’t need a lawyer to file a personal injury claim against an insurance company on your own. Indeed, some people do choose to go this route when their injuries are minor and they have the time to research the legal claims process on their own. Filing a claim on your own will also save you money in legal fees.
But there are certain advantages to hiring a car accident attorney, and especially a personal injury attorney. If you’re going up against a sizeable auto insurance company and their gang of lawyers, you might find legal representation beneficial. For instance, an attorney is already familiar with both personal injury laws and legal proceedings. He or she should be able to efficiently and effectively handle the groundwork for you, acting as your advocate for the duration of the case.
Insurance company lawyers are extremely likely to have the knowledge and experience to reduce the amount of compensation you’re demanding or deny your claim altogether. If you have experienced any of the following, hiring a car accident attorney might be a smart option:
- You’ve suffered severe injuries.
- You now face substantial medical bills.
- You have suffered a significant loss of wages due to injuries resulting directly from your accident.
The Benefits of Consulting a Car Accident Attorney
Here’s a more in-depth guide into hiring a car accident attorney. Do the following apply to you?
Have you been in a car accident? Severe injuries are a good reason to contact an accident attorney. The severity of an injury is typically assessed using three factors:
- The type of injury or injuries sustained.
- The length of time it took or will take for you to recover to your previous state of health.
- The cost of your medical bills and any other costs incurred because of your injuries, including other therapeutic procedures. This can include the projected cost of medical procedures you will undergo in the future.
Long-Term and Permanent Disabilities
In general, a long-term injury is disabling for at least a year or longer. Permanent injuries disable you for the rest of your life. Both of these types of injuries have a serious impact on your ability to become and/or stay employed. They may affect your wages. They have a serious impact on your overall quality of life.
Proving that an injury is disabling either permanently or in the long-term in court can be tricky at times. A personal injury or car accident attorney will need to consult with the medical professional that treated you after your injury. More than one medical professional may be required to appear in court to give their opinion on your condition and the impact it will have on your employment and quality of life. These professionals may include doctors, psychiatrists, physical therapists, cognitive therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, educational therapists, case managers, and vocational rehabilitation counsellors.
