If you recently suffered injuries in a car crash, you should retain skilled legal counsel to represent you as quickly as possible throughout the process. However, not all car accident attorneys are the same, and some have more experience than others. When interviewing potential attorneys, you should ask specific questions to find the lawyer who is best for you and your personal injury case.
Once you retain skilled legal counsel to represent you, your lawyer can enter an appearance in your case and begin advocating on your behalf. Specifically, your attorney can investigate your car crash circumstances, file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company, and negotiate that claim with the settlement adjuster.
If litigation becomes necessary in your case, your attorney can file a lawsuit on your behalf and, if necessary, take your case to an alternative dispute resolution proceeding or a civil jury trial.
Not having legal counsel represent you following a car accident can be a severe mistake. In fact, the insurance company might try and take advantage of your situation and offer you as little monetary compensation as possible to settle. On the other hand, a skilled car accident attorney can handle every aspect of your case for you and help you achieve the best possible result. Reach out to a car accident lawyer.
Specifically, your lawyer can represent you during all settlement negotiations with the insurance company or file a lawsuit and litigate your case in the court system for a favorable resolution. You want to hire a car accident lawyer who is ready to explore all necessary avenues to obtain the full compensation you deserve for your injuries and losses.
How a Serious Car Crash May Happen
Car accidents typically happen when other drivers make mistakes on the road. For example, they may violate one or more traffic laws and bring about a severe crash.
Common traffic law violations that lead to traffic accidents include:
- Failing to yield the right-of-way to other vehicles at traffic intersections.
- Speeding.
- Failing to use turn signals.
- Engaging in aggressive driving maneuvers.
In some situations, drivers also exhibit road rage while behind the wheel and may tailgate other vehicles or recklessly weave in and out of busy highway traffic. As a result, they may inadvertently cause their car to strike another vehicle, bringing about severe accidents and injuries.
In addition to traffic law infractions, some car crashes happen because of drunk and drugged driving, which are criminal offenses. Regarding alcohol, passenger vehicle drivers are legally intoxicated if they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of at least 0.08 percent.
When someone drives while impaired by alcohol or drugs, they may experience physical symptoms, including dizziness, blurred vision, and nausea. In addition, they may lose control over their vehicle due to impaired reflexes. Consequently, they may be unable to stop in time to avoid hitting another car or truck.
When a drunk driver sustains a criminal conviction for DUI, they may have to pay criminal fines, administrative penalties, and even serve jail time in some circumstances. Additionally, if they negligently cause a car accident from alcohol intoxication, they may have to pay civil damages through their motor vehicle insurance company.
Car accidents also happen when people drive while distracted. Electronic devices, including cellular phones, tablets, and GPS navigation systems, may divert a driver’s attention from the road.
In addition, the driver may become distracted when they pay attention to passengers in the vehicle or turn their head for some other reason. When drivers take their eyes off the road, they may not see another car or pedestrian in front of them or on the side of their vehicle. Consequently, they may cause a severe collision that leads to debilitating injuries.
Finally, some traffic accidents happen when drivers fail to use their mirrors. Drivers must constantly look into their rearview and side view mirrors when operating a vehicle in traffic, as well as in parking lots and garages, where visibility tends to be low.
When drivers fail to use their mirrors, they may not notice an approaching vehicle or pedestrian. Similarly, if they are in a parking lot or parking garage and fail to use their backup cameras and mirrors, they may fail to see a pedestrian behind them, causing serious accidents and injuries.
When people drive in a negligent manner, they may cause several types of accidents, including rear-end collisions, head-on crashes, sideswipe accidents, T-bone or broadside accidents, and overturn accidents.
If you suffered injuries in any of these accidents that a negligent driver caused, it might be time to retain a skilled car crash attorney to represent you in your case. A car accident lawyer in your area can evaluate your claim, determine your eligibility for pursuing monetary compensation, and assist you every step of the way with your case.
Common Car Accident Injuries
When drivers and passengers become involved in serious car accidents, they may suffer debilitating injuries that affect every aspect of their life. A car accident victim’s injuries will depend upon several factors, including the type of accident that occurs, the speeds of the involved vehicles, the number of vehicles involved in the crash, and other accident-specific circumstances.
Some of the most common injuries that car crash victims may sustain include:
- Soft tissue neck and back injuries.
- Shoulder injuries.
- Knee injuries.
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Spinal cord damage.
- Full and partial paralysis.
- Internal organ injuries.
- Bone fractures.
- Dislocations.
If you sustained any of these injuries in a recent car accident, you should have trusted legal counsel advocating for you every step of the way. Your attorney can handle the legal components of your case while you focus on making a full recovery from your injuries.
Your lawyer can also help you file a claim or lawsuit and pursue the monetary compensation you deserve from the at-fault driver’s insurance company – or from your own insurance company in the case of an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim.
Retaining an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer to Represent You Throughout Your Case
To maximize the monetary compensation you receive via a personal injury settlement or litigation result, you should have skilled legal counsel representing you at every stage of your case. However, not every lawyer is the same, and it is a good idea to meet with several potential candidates before deciding on the lawyer who should represent you throughout your personal injury claim or lawsuit.
The first question you should ask a lawyer is whether they handle car accident claims and lawsuits regularly. Some lawyers practice personal injury law but may not routinely work in car accident matters. To achieve the best possible result in your case, you want a lawyer on your side who consistently handles car accident claims and lawsuits as the majority of their personal injury practice.
You should also ask a prospective attorney about the number of years of experience they have handling car accident claims. Generally speaking, the more experienced a car accident attorney has in settling and litigating claims, the more likely they can obtain a favorable result for you.
It is also a good idea to ask a prospective attorney about the number of cases they settle versus the number of cases they litigate. A lawyer litigates a case when they file a lawsuit in the court system. Although some cases in litigation ultimately settle at some point along the way, other cases must go to a civil jury trial or other litigation proceedings, such as binding arbitration.
In most situations, you do not want to retain an attorney who settles all of their car accident cases. Instead, you want a lawyer on your side who successfully litigates car accident cases and takes them to jury trials. Insurance companies are also more likely to offer these types of attorneys fair monetary compensation to settle car accident claims.
Next, you should ask a prospective attorney (or otherwise find out) whether they have any ethical violations or state disciplinary proceedings on their record.
Finally, you can ask a prospective attorney about the ballpark value of your individual personal injury case. Although a lawyer cannot provide you with an exact dollar amount (simply because every car accident case is different), they can provide you with a settlement range, considering the nature and circumstances of your car accident, the injuries you suffered, the cost of your medical treatment, and the venue where your case is pending.
How an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You Throughout Your Case
Once you retain an experienced car crash attorney to assist you throughout your personal injury case, they can be an invaluable help.
Investigating Your Accident Circumstances
First, a car crash attorney in your area can help you investigate the circumstances of your accident. Your lawyer’s first step will be to gather specific documentation, including police reports, witness statements, and body camera footage, if available.
Your attorney might also retain an accident reconstructionist who can piece together the circumstances leading up to your accident ad determine exactly how it occurred – and who caused it.
Filing a Timely Personal Injury Claim on Your Behalf
After gathering the necessary documents, your attorney can file a personal injury claim on your behalf. In most situations, a car accident lawyer will file this claim with the insurance company for the at-fault driver. These types of claims are third-party claims.
However, suppose you suffered injuries in an accident that a phantom driver caused (like where the at-fault driver fled the scene of the accident). In that case, your attorney can file a first-party uninsured motorist claim with your own insurance company.
In addition to police reports and other accident-related documentation, a settlement demand package that your lawyer files with the insurance company will include copies of your related medical bills, medical treatment records, and injury photographs. The settlement adjuster handling your claim will then review the enclosed documents and determine whether to accept fault for the car crash.
Negotiating a Car Accident Claim
After filing a car accident claim on your behalf, your attorney can help you negotiate a fair settlement with the claims adjuster. Insurance company adjusters routinely take advantage of unrepresented accident victims and offer them very little settlement compensation.
On the other hand, an experienced car accident lawyer can negotiate on your behalf and threaten the insurance company with a lawsuit if they fail to take your case seriously. Settlement negotiations typically proceed back and forth between the accident victim’s lawyer and the insurance company adjuster until both parties reach a resolution or an impasse.
Litigating a Car Accident Claim in Court
Next, if the insurance company refuses to compensate you appropriately for your injuries, your attorney can file a lawsuit in the court system. Not every lawsuit proceeds all the way to trial. Still, if your case must go to a civil jury trial or binding arbitration proceeding, your lawyer can introduce evidence on your behalf and aggressively fight for your legal interests in those proceedings.
Contact an Experienced Car Crash Attorney in Your Area Right Away
If you recently sustained injuries in a car crash that someone else caused, time is of the essence. Victims of car accidents only have two years from their accident date to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit that seeks monetary compensation.
If an accident victim has not filed their lawsuit on time, the court will prohibit them from recovering any monetary damages. Therefore, you should take the steps necessary to retain skilled legal counsel as quickly as possible in your case.
You should feel comfortable asking your lawyer about things you are uncertain about. The legal system is often complex, and there is nothing wrong with seeking clarification on any aspects you don’t understand.
A knowledgeable personal injury attorney can file a timely car accident claim or lawsuit on your behalf and pursue the total monetary damages that you deserve in your case. Those economic damages may include compensation for your past/future related medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, and inconvenience.