It’s not possible to handle an auto accident injury case on your own. For handle this case you need to hire a attorney. The reason that you should get an car accident attorney is you will likely be given the bare minimum by an insurance company if you handle the case on your own.
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Hiring a good car accident lawyer with a track record of success will almost invariably put more money in your pocket than you would handle the case yourself. This cannot be emphasized enough. You need the best car accident lawyer you can find in these cases. Our lawyers handle car accident claims.
A personal injury lawyer is always going to be far better at settling a car accident case than a layperson would be. A good lawyer knows how much the case is worth and knows how to work the case and conduct the negotiations in order to arrive at the best outcome for the client.
While much depends on the specifics and the complexity of your car accident case, in general a lawyer can: communicate with your health care providers to obtain missing records work with your doctors to make sure they provide the medical information you need so that you can prove damages in your claim
There is no time limit or deadline for getting a lawyer after an accident. Just because you don’t get a lawyer to handle your accident case right away, you can always get lawyer later on. It’s never too late. However, there is a time limit on filing claims related to the accident that you should be aware of.
If you have been seriously injured and are looking for a quick settlement, you are almost invariably going to get less than the value of your accident case. To give the insurance company a reason to make something approaching a reasonable offer, you need all of your medical bills and records and often a written analysis of your case from a doctor – either a treating doctor or “independent” medical expert – as to the extent and scope of your injuries. If you settle a case before you have all of the documentation you need for your claim, you have little chance of receiving fair value. Our law firm will not even consider taking a case if the client is trying to settle the case before her doctors understand the full scope of her injuries.
However, there is a time limit on filing claims related to the accident that you should be aware of. All states have a statute of limitations which imposes a strict deadline on how long you can wait before filing claims. Under Maryland’s statute of limitations, you have to file your claims within 3 years after the accident.
Insurance adjusters use anything you say to knock down your settlement offer, or they pass along the information to the insurance company’s lawyers to give cross-examination fodder against you at trial.
When our attorneys do allow for these statements, we set them up under controlled conditions to limit any damage the client can do to the case.
If you are going to take the risk and delay, do not talk to anyone about how the incident happened or the extent and scope of the injuries.
Are the attorneys' fees worth it? In a serious injury or wrongful death case, you absolutely need a lawyer. Our lawyers might get you more than ten times the money you would get for yourself. But in a smaller case or no injury case? Settling your own injury claim without a lawyer is worth at least exploring.
Do I need a lawyer after a car accident? Here is the deal. There are personal injury car accident claims for which you do not need a lawyer. Most attorneys will not tell you this. We just did.
One of the common steps for a car accident injury attorney to take when investigating your claim is to determine a dollar value for certain losses. They often think of things that you might not have even faced yet!
Before we go any further, we need to discuss what types of auto accident cases you should not attempt to settle without help from a lawyer. The reasoning for each varies some but the common theme is that you will almost certainly receive more money for your car accident if you have an experienced attorney handling the case.
If you're involved in a car wreck and you decide to handle the negotiations with the insurance company yourself, what are your options? Well, the first option is to just accept what the insurance companies are offering - I NEVER recommend that. They are going to offer the lowest amount that they think you are willing to accept and they have ZERO obligation to pay what your claim may actually be worth.
You must prove that someone else was negligent or careless and that it was their negligence or carelessness that caused your injury. If you fail to do this, you lose. If you sue the wrong person, you lose. If you wait too long to sue, you lose. If you had an injury BEFORE the accident, then you are only entitled to be compensated to the extent your injury is now worse.
This is an opportunity to explain why your case demands additional compensation and why the settlement they have offered is too low. Take the time to properly explain all the details and use hard numbers to prove your point where you can.
There's nothing to prevent you from hiring an attorney before you reach a signed agreement with the insurance companies. There's also no shame in starting off on your own and deciding the process is too much to handle alone. As I've detailed above, the insurance companies do not play fair and they see those without legal representation as easy targets. If you've run into a wall, or you're just tired of dealing with process, you can call me at the Stephens Law Firm and I'll be glad to let you know how I can help.
If you were hit by a drunk driver you should hire an attorney to settle your case. In most instances you will be entitled to more compensation than an insurance company will offer without a skilled attorney handling your case. Additionally, you may want to sue the intoxicated driver personally for their actions.