A traumatic car accident is a frightening event that can forever change your life. The sudden and violent impact of the crash requires fast access to medical care for your severe injuries. If another driver is responsible for your accident, consider hiring an attorney as soon as possible. Accident victims must protect their best interests soon after transport to a hospital or trauma center. Let’s explore how an attorney can help you and why time is of the utmost importance following your car accident:
Negligence and Your Car Accident Injuries
Identifying those responsible for your car accident injuries is essential for pursuing compensation. Your car accident damages are a serious matter that requires a strategic approach to insurance companies and settlements.
While compensation for damages is never promised, it is worth pursuing as your medical costs climb.
A car accident lawyer can investigate your accident in the following ways:
- Driver negligence: examples of negligence include a drunk, distracted, or aggressive driver
- All parties at fault: examine whether a faulty mechanical issue contributed to the accident
- Criminal or traffic charges: review the police report to determine if police charged the other driver
- Review accident scene photographs: an attorney may spot something overlooked by law enforcement
- Read witness statements: determine whether the statements are credible and helpful to your claim and lawsuit
Your attorney must prove negligence on the part of the other driver. To do so, your attorney must get to work on your behalf without delay. Contacting a personal injury lawyer soon after your accident is an essential first step toward justice.
Why Fighting for Compensation Matters
A serious accident caused by a negligent driver can cause damage that extends beyond your injuries—financial stress, along with psychological and emotional harm that follows you throughout your lifetime.
Medical costs are staggering and continue to climb. The driver responsible for your injuries should pay your medical bills now and those associated with your future care. These costs should not be your burden to bear.
Some injuries are catastrophic and permanent. Many accident victims find themselves unable to return to the careers and jobs they enjoyed.
Your attorney can fight for compensation regarding the following types of damages:
- Lost income: wages lost due to a lengthy recovery and time away from work
- Loss of potential future earnings: the loss of possible income if your injuries prevent you from returning to your job
- Current and future medical costs: bills relating to your current and future medical care needs
- Pain and suffering: Compensation for the mental anguish and other harmful effects of the accident on your life
Accident victims should never settle for less than they deserve. If an insurance company reaches out to you, consider protecting your best interests by hiring an attorney. Personal injury attorneys are aggressive when it comes to fighting insurance companies yet compassionate with the car accident victims they represent.
Personal injury attorneys work hard to secure accident victims a fair settlement. However, the impact on your life now may seem daunting and your future uncertain. While your injuries may require you to take one day at a time, your civil action requires you to act sooner rather than later
Insurance company representatives can easily confuse you regarding a possible settlement. If an insurance adjuster pressures you to accept a settlement offer, consider contacting a lawyer instead. Once hired, you can refer the adjuster to your attorney.
Why Time Matters in Civil Cases
The thought of hiring a lawyer may cross your mind as you lay in a hospital bed. You may feel inclined to reach out when you feel better or stronger. While painful injuries can delay action, you must make a phone call without delay.
State laws regarding the time allowed for pursuing civil action are strict and complex. Therefore, filing a personal injury lawsuit within the statute of limitations is imperative for pursuing compensation.
If the statute of limitations expires before you file your case, you generally have no further legal options. Medical appointments and other dates can cause you to miss this crucial opportunity for compensation. A personal injury lawyer can work to ensure that your case reaches the court within the deadline.
Building your case takes time. It involves a careful review of evidence and proving negligence. If the driver responsible for your harm faces criminal charges, you may still pursue a civil case against them. The outcome of their criminal case has no impact on your civil action.
A severe car accident requires quick action on those harmed by a negligent driver. Unfortunately, a last-minute decision to hire an attorney leaves them and you little time to review the facts of your case. The sooner you reach out to an attorney, the faster they can get to work for you.
The Immediate and Long-Lasting Impact of Serious Injuries
Severe car accident injuries can forever impact your life. Once easy tasks, such as bathing or dressing, can become challenging and require assistance. The consequences of a car accident are immediate and extensive.
The medical bills begin at the moment of transport to the hospital. As the bills accumulate and your income stops, the stress is sometimes unmanageable. This sudden disruption to life demands quick action when it comes to hiring an attorney.
Here are just a few examples of severe injuries and the expenses associated with each:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI): A severe brain injury impacts normal brain function. If you or a loved one experience such an injury, you might require therapy or 24/hour care. A skilled nursing facility can cost thousands of dollars per month.
- Spinal cord damage: A spinal cord injury can result in partial or complete paralysis, making necessary home modifications for a power chair. The lifetime costs associated with such a catastrophic injury can easily reach millions.
- Broken bones: Multiple bone fractures can require several surgeries and physical therapy. Accident victims with broken limbs may require costly personal care.
- Internal bleeding: An internal injury such as bleeding is potentially deadly and why immediate medical care is imperative. Only a medical professional with the proper equipment can detect internal harm.
While not a complete list, these injuries are not only life-altering but costly. If you or a loved one suffered a catastrophic injury due to another driver’s negligence, you might want to hire an attorney today. The medical bills will not wait, and neither should you—a personal injury lawyer stands ready to assist you with your civil case.
When to Contact an Attorney Following a Fatal Car Accident
Consider contacting a wrongful death attorney if you lost a close loved one due to a fatal car accident. Like personal injury cases, wrongful death requires immediate family members’ quick action.
Surviving spouses, children, and parents are among the most common people who typically quality for wrongful death cases. If you are unsure if your relationship with the accident victim qualifies you, a free case evaluation with a law firm can help.
Life turns upside down at the news of a devastating loss. Wrongful death cases require quick action during what is a highly emotional time. As you mourn your loved one, it is imperative to schedule a free cases consultation to learn about your options.
The cost of a funeral and burial alone can create financial stress. The loss of income, along with other damages, can impact your current and future needs. When an untimely death results from negligence, taking quick action can protect your best interests.
An experienced attorney can best explain the wrongful death damages you might recover. For example, the monetary value regarding the loss of companionship is challenging to convey to an insurance company, judge, or jury.
Your attorney has the skills necessary to navigate the complex legal process associated with wrongful death cases. Spending time with friends and family during this difficult time is time well spent. By hiring an attorney, you can let them manage the details of your civil claim and lawsuit.
No amount of compensation can replace your loss. However, if successful, your claim and lawsuit may help ease your financial stress while holding the responsible driver accountable for their actions.
Insurance Company Tactics and How Your Attorney Can Help
An insurance company may realize enough evidence proving their client is responsible for your damages. However, this realization does not mean a fast—and fair—settlement.
Insurance companies are relatively famous for:
- Denying claims
- Underpaying claims
- Delaying action on claims
- Pressuring accident victims to settle without a lawyer
Understandably, accident victims face many unknowns following a traumatic crash. As a result, many worry about their injuries, careers, and quality of life moving forward.
Negotiating with an insurance company for compensation that you deserve is a process. While the process takes time, standing firm and holding their client accountable is necessary for the best outcome possible. Your attorney can keep you informed as your case progresses.
Severe injuries demand rest. Concentrating on your health and recovery is your top priority. If you suffered significant damages from a negligent driver, consider reaching out to a personal injury lawyer today.
Essential Steps Following Your Car Accident
As overwhelmed as you may feel about your situation, it is imperative that you not sign or accept any settlement offer alone. An insurance company wants to protect its best interests and close your claim quickly and for a low sum.
Your inability to work can cause you great anxiety. A large check presented by an insurance adjuster may seem like the financial solution you need.
However, at this pivotal moment, a lawyer can help you.
- Seek immediate medical attention: some types of serious injuries exhibit no signs or symptoms, making it imperative you seek medical care
- Contact a personal injury lawyer: most personal injury lawyers offer a free case evaluation, leaving you nothing to lose
- Do not sign or agree to any settlement: accepting a settlement before you contact an attorney can result in less compensation than you deserve
If you accept a settlement alone, you may not pursue further compensation should your condition worsen. Moreover, the settlement closes your claim—there are generally no other legal options.
Contacting an attorney does not mean that you must pay their fees upfront. Many personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you only pay if they win your case.
What you experienced was life-changing and unfair. However, the car accident was most likely preventable, had the other driver used care. Protect your best interests by contacting a car accident lawyer now.
The Time to Contact an Attorney Is Now
Time can pass quickly as you endure medical procedures and treatments. The changes to your daily routine are immediate and can distract you from contacting an attorney.
The good news is that once you hire a car accident attorney, they can immediately get to work on your behalf. In addition, once your case is in their hands, they can manage such details as phone calls, paperwork, and insurance company negotiations.
Most car accident cases settle without going to court. However, your attorney may feel a trial is necessary. An attorney’s professional experience before a judge and jury can prove invaluable in your civil case.
Contacting a car accident attorney is one step that has multiple benefits. First, you can rest easier knowing someone with legal skills and knowledge of state law protects your best interests.
The car accident attorney you hire works for you. Each case they work on differs, and they cannot guarantee compensation. However, your attorney will work hard to fight for the compensation you need and deserve.
