The aftermath of a car accident can leave your head spinning. Between obtaining medical care, dealing with insurance claims, handling lost income and other damages, and processing the whole ordeal emotionally, getting into a collision seriously disrupts life.
So, what factors should prompt you to hire an accident attorney to handle matters versus going the insurance route alone? When does legal help make financial and practical sense for reaching best-case outcomes? We cover key considerations below.
Was Someone Injured?
Personal injuries are perhaps the number one factor prompting most auto accident victims to pursue legal representation. The right attorney handles gathering complicated medical evidence of injury causation and long-term impacts critical for aligning evidence with financial damages like lost wages, treatment costs, and pain and suffering compensation.
Lawyers like West Virginia Car Accident Lawyer | Robinette Legal Group, PLLC also know how to maximize settlement negotiations by substantiating ongoing effects on quality of life that merit higher payouts under the law. If the insurance providers lowball offers, seasoned attorneys have litigation experience pushing for fuller compensation at trial if necessary.
Are Damages Extensive?
While fender benders likely require only quick insurance payouts for minor repairs, major collisions resulting in expensive property damages warrant experienced legal counsel. Lawyers help compile evidence like repair estimates and evaluation reports that detail full replacement or repair costs for your vehicle and other damaged property.
If damages exceed insurance limits, they explore options for obtaining additional money needed to make you whole, including pursuing underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage if the at-fault driver’s policy won’t cut it.
Is the Insurance Claim Denied?
In clear liability cases with police reports citing the other motorist’s fault, you expect insurer cooperation. But claim denials happen more frequently than you might assume for reasons fair or not. Insurers facing high liability claims sometimes allege comparative negligence attributable to victims to reduce payout risk.
Legal teams challenge questionable denials by demanding insurers back up these allegations and prove harm was unavoidable on your part. Lawyers also force reconsideration if adjusters misinterpret police report facts, dispute fault unfairly due to policy limits, or drag feet approving rightful claims.
Are Injuries Catastrophic?
Severe, permanent injuries like brain damage, paralysis, disfigurement, loss of limbs, severe burns, loss of eyesight, spinal cord injuries, internal organ damage, or fatalities not only require major financial elements like long-term care costs and permanency settlements but also merit attorney involvement to ease burdens on devastated accident victims and bereaved families already traumatized.
These lawyers handle all complicated aspects while clients focus energy on healing.
Is the Situation Complex?
Even with fairly minor vehicle damage and injuries, complicated auto accident cases with unclear liability scenarios or multiple parties involved often demand legal expertise.
Situations like hit-and-run collisions with unknown drivers, accidents with no witnesses, chain reaction crashes, company trucking collisions, defective auto parts allegations, and wrecks on unsafe roadways tend to find resolution only with an attorney’s skill untangling multifaceted evidence and arguing duty breaches by defendants.
Conclusion
As this overview illustrates, various factors determine smart times to hire a car accident attorney after a collision. While only property scratches likely call for insurance-only claims, personal injuries, denial scenarios, major harm levels, financial constraints, and legal complexity may necessitate lawyers preventing lowball offers and achieving outcomes aligning with true damages and needs.
Consult respected firms if any concerns arise during the claims processes so you protect your rights to fair compensation.
