Just like you need your friends and family after an accident, you need a legal team to ensure that you get the best outcome from your accident case. A lawyer can do a lot for you after a crash. With the help of an experienced car accident attorney, you can get the financial recovery you deserve after a car accident. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury in a crash, call a car accident lawyer today.
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How Can I Find The Best Car Accident Attorney?
Finding the best attorney for your case requires some research. Ask yourself what you want out of a lawyer and legal team. Here are some things to consider as you choose the right legal professional for you.
- Experience with cases similar to yours
- A successful track record
- You are clear about the attorney’s communication style
- You feel comfortable working with the lawyer and their legal team
Choosing the right legal team can make a difference in your case. There is no reason to pursue financial compensation after a car accident by yourself. Your attorney and their team are in your corner and want to make sure that you recover everything that you need and deserve after getting hurt in a car accident. If you or someone that you love has suffered an injury in a car crash, call an attorney at once to protect your right to full and fair compensation.
What Can a Car Accident Lawyer Do For Me?
A legal team with the experience and knowledge you need is critical to the success of your case. Your attorney can work with you and explain the entire process from start to finish. The following are some major ways car accident attorneys can seek full and fair compensation after the crash.
Help You Build Your Case
A legal team can build your case after a car accident. The stronger your case, the more likely you will have a successful outcome as you pursue compensation for your injuries and losses. An experienced lawyer knows how to investigate the case and uncover relevant information that will support your claim.
Proving your case can take a lot of work. Here are some things your attorney might do to build a compelling case on your behalf.
- Represent your case at trial.
- Negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf.
- Investigate the cause of the accident.
- Collect evidence like police reports, pictures, witness statements, and other relevant information.
Help You File An Insurance Claim
Your attorney can file an insurance claim after an accident. Even if you live in a no-fault state and will work primarily with your own car insurance company, you can still receive many benefits from having an attorney. Car insurance companies are the same as any other business. These companies want to protect their profits, and a major way that they do that is by avoiding paying injury claims. Your insurance company might resist paying you even though you’ve spent months or years paying premiums to them.
Car accident victims often fall prey to common insurance company tactics. An attorney can avoid some of these tactics and get you on track to financial recovery after an accident. Some of the most common examples of underhanded insurance company tactics include the following.
- Attempts to limit coverage
- Downplaying your injuries
- Blame-shifting to dispute liability
Offer You Legal Advice
Having an attorney ends the guesswork about a car accident. After getting into an accident, you might have a million questions about what to do to protect yourself and your right to compensation. An attorney is your source of legal knowledge after a crash. Your attorney is trained to manage injury cases. Hiring an attorney is the best way to ensure your questions are answered correctly. You can get access to a proper legal analysis straight from the source.
Find All Your Damages
Sometimes, accident victims downplay the severity of their injuries. It is often an instinct for many people to claim that they are fine despite suffering greatly from their injuries. Having another person review your medical records, like an attorney, can give you a clear idea about how hurt you are and what you can do about it.
Your attorney can find losses that you might not have considered yourself. Speak with an attorney experienced in recovering compensation for car accident victims to decide if you have spotted all potential compensable damages.
An attorney can examine the extent of your injuries, property damage, medical records, and more to discover the true extent of your losses. For example, you might not know that you are entitled to recover damages for reduced quality of life or loss of enjoyment of life, but your attorney knows to look for evidence of these losses. Remember that you deserve to recover for all your damages, even if you do not initially recognize them.
Help You File a Lawsuit If Necessary
In no-fault states, car accident victims are allowed to sue in limited circumstances. For example, in Michigan, drivers initially rely on their personal insurance policies to get compensation for their injuries. Despite this general rule, there are times when a car accident victim can sue the responsible driver for their serious injuries.
Here are some damages you might have the right to sue for after a car accident:
- Remaining or excess lost income
- Remaining or excess medical expenses
- Pain and suffering compensation
A car accident attorney can seek the financial recovery you need after an accident, whether it involves a no-fault claim, third-party claim, or lawsuit.
You might also be entitled to recover compensation through a mini-tort lawsuit. A mini-tort lawsuit is available to accident victims who have a claim for property damage. The responsible driver may be sued by the innocent driver for up to $3,000 in damages to cover the cost of their deductible. If the prospect of filing a mini tort lawsuit seems intimidating, contact an experienced car accident attorney.
Help You Access Medical Care
Some legal teams have professional relationships with healthcare providers. Unfortunately, some doctors do not want to take on accident victims as patients, even primary care physicians. Doctors want to avoid litigation, and having a car accident victim as a patient can end up monopolizing their time. Your lawyer might connect you with a medical professional who is willing to take on your case and provide you with a treatment plan.
Once you get a doctor, it is critical that you follow every step of their treatment plan. Failure to follow the treatment plan can be bad for your physical condition and your legal claim. An accident victim with an incomplete treatment plan is a major score for an insurance company. Insurance adjusters and companies work hard to find any reason to avoid paying an injury victim’s claim. Do not give the insurance company the ammunition it needs to keep the money you deserve after an accident.
It is also important that you complete the treatment plan to ensure that you reach maximum medical improvement before you settle your case. Suppose you do not complete a recommended medical treatment plan. If you settle your case before you actually finish treating your injuries, then you might need more medical care down the road. Once you settle, however, you cannot return to the negotiation table and ask for more money. Receive all the care that you can before resolving your case.
What If a Defective Car Part Caused My Accident?
Sometimes, car accidents are not caused by either driver’s negligence. A car manufacturer might share liability for a car accident if they placed a defective car part onto the marketplace and a consumer suffered an injury. Corporations must ensure that the products that they sell are safe. If they do not meet their obligation, then the injured person can have a legal cause of action against them.
Discovering who the responsible manufacturer is after an accident can be challenging. For example, each part of the car might be made by a different manufacturer. Suppose bad brakes caused the accident. You will have a case against the brake manufacturer but not the other part makers. Your attorney can identify the cause of the accident and determine how to pursue a specific case against them.
Can a Lawyer Help If My Injuries Are Permanent or Long-Term?
If your injuries cause a permanent or long-term effect, then you can receive help from hiring an attorney. While some car accidents cause long-term physical injuries, some accident victims must live with serious mental and emotional consequences of the crash. Each type of physical, mental, and financial injury should be compensated.
Most damages are either economic or non-economic damages. Economic damages are the physical losses that car accident victims suffer after a crash. For example, medical bills, property damage, and lost income are economic damages. Non-economic damages are the intangible losses from an accident. Non-economic damages can include losses like mental anguish and emotional trauma.
Any of the above types of damages can linger for long after the accident happens. An attorney can identify your losses after an accident and pursue recovery for each of them. Sometimes, losses are not clear. For example, you might need an attorney’s help to explain reduced quality of life to an insurance company or a court.
Can a Lawyer Help Me If a Family Member Died In a Car Accident?
A wrongful death attorney is a valuable resource for anyone who lost a loved one in a car accident. Wrongful death law varies by state and can be quite complicated. Having an experienced wrongful death attorney can explain your right to sue and what you can recover in a wrongful death lawsuit.
Typical damages in a wrongful death case include the cost of burial and funeral expenses. The family of the deceased might be entitled to recover for the cost of final care, like surgery or life support, that their loved one needed at the end of their life.
How Much Does a Car Accident Attorney Cost?
One major concern that many car accident victims have is how to pay for legal representation. Many victims decide to forgo pursuing compensation because of the fear of not being able to afford representation. Fortunately, many civil accident attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee agreement is a payment arrangement that allows clients to defer payment until the end of their case. If you don’t win, then you don’t pay. Contingency fee agreements allow civil accident victims to get the representation they need without worrying about the cost of a lawyer.
How Long Do I Have To Sue After a Car Accident?
Under state law, car accident victims have limited time from the day the accident happened to sue for their losses. This is called the statute of limitations. A statute of limitations is a deadline set by law that limits the amount of time that a car accident victim can sue to recover damages. The time limit varies from state to state, but the most common deadlines are two or three years from the accident date.
The statute of limitations is one of the many procedural rules that car accident litigants must follow in a civil case. Having an attorney on your case helps alleviate the pressure of ensuring you meet every procedural rule. You can rely on your legal team to handle the entire legal process, which allows you to focus solely on your physical recovery and putting your life back together.
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer to Discuss Your Accident and Injuries Today!
Figuring it all out after a car accident is overwhelming for most people. You have suffered an injury, you probably have some property damage and some emotional stress, and your life has been disrupted. It can seem impossible to get your life back after an accident.
Seeking a free consultation from a personal injury lawyer is the first step to getting your life back on track. Call today.
Thomas L. Stroble
FOUNDER
Mr. Stroble is a highly accomplished graduate of Michigan State University, with degrees in both science and law. He specializes in commercial lawsuits and personal injury cases. Licensed to practice law in Michigan and even the U.S. Supreme Court, he’s a well-qualified legal expert. Besides his career in law, he loves outdoor activities and volunteers as a part-time police officer in Birmingham.
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