The US scores highly among the countries with the best physical infrastructure, including roads. However, high-quality roads do not translate to accident-free roads; statistics show that 12.15 million US vehicles were in a car crash in 2019.
Such statistics show that although you may be a careful driver, you cannot account for other road users’ behavior. Therefore, being involved in a car crash during your lifetime is pretty high.
Besides the mixed emotions from a near-death experience, car accidents are incredibly stressful. However, a car accident lawyer can bear the stressful burden as follows. Click here for VA disbility calculator.
They Can Help You Gather Evidence from The Scene
Ideally, the first thing you need to do after a car accident, fender benders included, is to make a police report and collect evidence. Necessary evidence includes photos of both vehicles, the other driver’s car registration and insurance information, and any witness accounts. The evidence goes into the police report and should help solidify your insurance claim.
However, you may not manage to do any of the above if you are in shock or incapacitated after the accident. Therefore, evidence collection is among the top reasons to hire a car accident lawyer. Hiring a car accident lawyer from The Bruning Law Firm can help you understand how to seek compensation for the financial and psychological costs of your injury
They can step in and use resources like private investigators to collect the evidence on your behalf and make the police report within the stipulated duration. Different states and insurance companies require that you report a car crash to the police within a specified period.
Second, they can also guide you while speaking to the police to prevent you from claiming culpability for the accident. Third, car accident lawyers can take the name and badge number of the police officer at the scene and follow up on a copy of the police report, which is a must-have document while filing insurance claims.
They Can Guide You on The Kind of Claim to File
Although you have a right to claim compensation after a car accident, the specific procedures for making such claims vary, depending on state laws and insurance company policies. For instance, 12 states, including New York, Kentucky, Florida, and Utah, have no-fault auto insurance laws.
Therefore, you can only file a first-party claim with your insurance company after an accident in such states and receive a personal insurance protection (PIP) claim. However, such states set a threshold (tort liability threshold) or special circumstances whereby you can sue the driver at fault if the accident resulted in death or injuries above a specified compensation value.
Most states apply fault-based insurance claims whereby you make a third-party claim against the other offending driver’s insurance companies. However, your claim must feature ample evidence that the other party was at fault, including photographic evidence from the accident scene, property damage evaluations, and medical bills.
Moreover, some car accidents occur due to negligence by road maintenance authorities, and you can sue the relevant administration. Therefore, a car accident lawyer guides you on the kind of insurance claim to make according to state laws, how to file a suit against a defendant, and the evidence necessary to support your claim. Moreover, they can also guide you on how to contest a claim should the third-party insurer dismiss it.
They Can Help You Oversee an Insurance Claim
More often than not, dealing with an insurance company is a nightmare, regardless of how legitimate your claim is. They will bank on your inexperience to offer you the lowest claim possible for starters.
However, they will have difficulty trying to run circles against a lawyer with years of experience working on car accident claims cases. Therefore, car accident lawyers are instrumental in helping you negotiate for the maximum personal injury claim, regardless of whether it is a PIP claim or a third-party claim.
They can negotiate your claim in an out-of-court settlement or choose the litigation path if necessary to ensure you get a fair claim to cover your current losses and future needs arising from the accident. Therefore, you will have peace of mind knowing that someone with your interest at heart is fighting for you while you recuperate.
They Work on a Contingency Basis (No Win, No Fee)
Most individuals steer clear of law firms and attorneys due to their costly hourly rates. However, car accident lawyers typically work on a contingency basis rather than an hourly rate.
A contingency fee basis means that you do not pay the lawyer any upfront fees. The lawyer settles their litigation fees from the settlement awarded after winning the claim.
Essentially, the lawyer shares the risk of losing the claim with you because they invest their resources to prove your claim. Therefore, they put their best effort to ensure you win the maximum claim, earning them a payday.
They Give You Legal Advice
As stated above, car accident insurance claims vary across states. Therefore, a car accident lawyer gives you legal counsel on the best course of action to stack the odds in your favor while adhering to state laws.
Conclusion:
Life happens, and things can go wrong even when you plan every detail and do the right thing, as with car accidents. There is no better consolation at such a stressful time than to have someone you can trust fighting your course. Therefore, consult an accident lawyer today.