Why Hire a Car Crash Lawyer if it Wasn’t Your Fault?
One moment, everything was fine. The next, you are involved in a car crash that leaves you dazed, in pain, and struggling to process what just happened. As you sit there, heart pounding, you begin to see the damage—the crumpled front end, the shattered glass, and smoke from the airbags deflating around you. None of this is your fault. The police report confirms it. So why are you the one left struggling?
Insurance companies make their profits by paying out as little as possible, and they have teams of adjusters and lawyers trained to protect their bottom line. Even when liability is clear, they may dispute the severity of your injuries, argue that some of your medical treatments aren’t necessary, or diminish the impact all these things are doing to interrupt your life. They do whatever they can to delay your claim in hopes that you’ll accept a lower settlement out of frustration. They may even twist your statements to suggest you were partially at fault or pressure you to accept a quick payout that doesn’t cover all of your damages.
As the victim, you’re already facing mounting medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and painful injuries. The last thing you need is a battle with an insurance company that’s trying to minimize your claim. A car crash lawyer working for you levels the playing field, negotiates aggressively on your behalf, and ensures you receive the full compensation you deserve—so you can focus on healing instead of fighting for what’s fair.
Dealing with the Insurance Company is Not as Easy as You Think
This is often the hardest thing for most victims to realize. Most of us believe that the insurance company is there to help us after an accident. That’s what their advertising says, and that may even be what the agent you are working with tells you immediately following the accident. However, it’s important to know that insurance companies are businesses that are driven to protect their bottom line by offering the lowest settlement they feel they can get away with.
What they hope you, as the victim, don’t know is that once you sign off on a settlement amount, you are not able to go back and negotiate for more, even if you find that the initial settlement is not enough to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle replacement. Insurance companies have many different tactics they can use to get you to agree to a lower settlement.
Complex Legal Processes Will Require an Attorney
If you attempt to handle the aftermath of an accident on your own, you are limited to what you know about personal injury law. The reality is that unless you are in the legal field, the legal process of a car accident is far more complex than most people can navigate on their own. To effectively negotiate with the insurance company, you will need extensive documentation, evidence and accounts from eyewitnesses, medical records and statements from your doctors and therapists, and an experienced attorney who understands long-term recovery, accident reconstruction, and all the complex legal statutes that will help you build a strong case.
What is Fair Compensation
What is fair compensation after a car accident that wasn’t your fault? There is no one number that applies to every case. Your compensation should completely cover:
- Medical treatment (both immediate and ongoing)
- Lost wages
- Property damage
However, this is the bare minimum you will need after an accident. Having a car crash lawyer can help you not only determine the amount to cover the damages you face immediately after the accident, but the long-term damages you may face, such as ongoing therapy, loss of earning potential, lifestyle changes you will be forced to make as a result of the accident, and even compensation for pain and suffering.
The more serious your injuries are, the more complicated your claim may be. While it’s easy to submit a medical or car repair bill, determining the amount you will need for future recovery is a lot harder to quantify. A car crash attorney can draw on their years of experience to help you determine a fair settlement.
When Liability is Disputed
You may think that fault is obvious, especially if you have a police determination to back it up, but that won’t necessarily stop the insurance company or at-fault driver from trying to assign you a degree of legal liability. They do this as a way to try to reduce the amount of your claim. One of the reasons that it is so essential to have an attorney as soon as possible after your accident is because your lawyer can help keep you from saying or doing anything that could be construed as accepting partial fault, as even the most innocuous statements can be twisted when the insurance company is trying to save money.
You Don’t Pay Until Your Case is Settled
If you are already facing mounting medical bills and lost wages, the thought of hiring an attorney, even on contingency, can be scary. However, don’t let the cost of a car crash attorney stop you from getting the help you need. Car crash lawyers work on contingency, which means that instead of charging an up-front fee, they will earn their fee based on a percentage of your final settlement. While this means that hiring an attorney isn’t “free”, most victims get a substantial increase in their settlement that more than covers the attorney fee.
If you’ve been seriously injured in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, contact Arthur Law Firm right away at (419) 782-9881 for a free consultation. Hiring an attorney will protect your rights, ensure that your settlement is enough to cover all your expenses, and give you peace of mind so you can focus on recovery while someone else does the frustrating work of negotiating the fair settlement you deserve. You don’t have to navigate this alone. We fight hard for car crash victims because we know what you’re up against, and we know what’s at stake.