When To Hire A Car Accident Lawyer?

There is no part of your car accident that is easy to handle. Accidents are often dangerous, scary, painful, and most of the time it is difficult to determine whether serious damages have been done. In most auto accidents, the emotional toll is often overwhelming. The situation becomes worse some days or weeks after the accidents because of the several trips to your doctor, mired insurance claims, medical bills, co-pays, and numerous phone calls. During this time, the hassle never ends. You’ll spend most of your time away from work, planning on how to acquire a rental car, visiting your mechanic, and it can be difficult to get enough time to heal.

In the event of an auto accident, you may be so stressed up that you want to handle the whole matter to your attorney immediately, or you may also fear that consulting and hiring an attorney will only frustrate you further. But how will you determine when you need to hire an attorney to assist you in your case? The truth of the matter is that you won’t always need the assistance of a car accident attorney; however, most cases unfold more smoothly and also successfully with an experienced attorney in your corner.

At Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm, we are aware that making the decision to hire a car accident attorney is very important to you. To give you peace of mind, you should know that simply consulting an attorney doesn’t carry any obligation. However, you’ll note that hiring your car accident attorney will minimize the hassle you would have faced while on your own. In fact, hiring one of our attorneys will put you in a better position to recover much more money that you would never have been able to get while on your own. Keep in mind that in most auto accidents, you don’t have to pay anything until the case is settled and you receive a just amount.

Whether you need an attorney or not after a car accident will depend on many factors. In a case where nobody was injured after the car crash, and there was minimal property damage, it may be unlikely that you’ll need an attorney. Also, in some minor accidents, the auto insurance company can handle your case. However, there are some cases where you may need to seek legal assistance as soon as you can. Below are some situations when you may need to get a car accident attorney:

You can never quite trust the other party. This is because all insurance companies are out to make money and will never represent your best wellbeing. Although insurance adjusters may sound very friendly and fairly reasonable during phone conversations, always remember that they are employed to pay victims like you as little as possible. Therefore, you should never accept any settlement without first talking to a qualified and experienced Los Angeles car accident attorney.

Insurance adjusters are notorious for always trying to offer “lowball” settlements, and although they may seem like they are somehow attractive, they are less than what you’re entitled to. However, when you work with an experienced and aggressive attorney from Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm, you will be able to hold the insurance company accountable, and this will make them treat you more fairly.

It doesn’t matter the nature of your car accident, always ensure that you follow these simple steps when dealing with an insurance representative:

• Don’t attempt to sign any documents, especially any that concerns a settlement offer. Make sure that you have an attorney by your side to examine an offer before you determine whether to accept it or not.
• In case you’ve decided to retain an accident attorney from our law firm, politely communicate to your insurance company representative and inform them that they direct all their proposals and inquiries to your attorney.
• Ensure that you seek medical attention. Although your employer or insurance company may dissuade you from doing so, it’s very important that you know how severe your injuries are.
• Talk to an attorney if you haven’t done that already.
• Most importantly, don’t panic or make a rushed decision, and don’t despair. Although there are no straightforward guarantees in personal injury law, we have an excellent record of successfully assisting victims of car accidents like you in pursuing justice and get a fair compensation.

In many car accidents, victims always suffer some injuries. Tragically, most of these fatal accidents cause catastrophic injuries and sometimes even death. However, some are more moderate in nature. After you are injured, you may feel like you’re in a gray area, but have you stopped and thought how serious your injuries are?

Never underestimate the degree of your injuries. Some insurance adjusters have gone to the extent of convincing victims of car accidents that some damages such as bone fractures, whiplash, lacerations, concussions, and some deep bruises aren’t always real or serious injuries. However, this isn’t true. The truth is that concussions, whiplash, and other similar injuries often cause serious complications that may require a longer healing duration. Such injuries also often result in time away from work or school and hefty medical bills. Remember you are legally entitled to a fair compensation for all your losses, pain, and injuries.

Because each accident is unique, the extent of injuries varies from case to case. However, in many cases, the costs for treatment of injuries that are sustained in a fatal accident aren’t covered by PIP insurance, and this means that you will need to negotiate with your insurance firm and additional litigation may be necessary. Some of the injuries that attorneys from Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney Law Firm can attempt to collect include:

• Burns and scars
• Paralysis
• Head injuries
• Loss of limbs
• Whiplash
• Wrongful death
• Muscle, joint, neck, back, and bone injuries
• Permanent disability
• Spinal cord injuries

Our experienced professionals can also help you to seek financial damages for:

• Hospital bills
• Medical expenses
• Emotional distress
• Property damage
• Loss of companionship
• Lost income and time spent away from work
• Future impairment
• Substantial hardships that are caused by the accident
• Much more depending on the circumstances and facts of your case

You cannot put a price tag on the value of peace of mind. That is why it might just be the most valuable thing that an accident attorney from Los Angeles Personal Injury Law Firm can offer. We understand how stressing legal battles can be, especially in a case where you may have sustained injuries due to the negligence of others.

We focus more on shouldering all your legal burdens for you by handling everything from the paperwork, negotiations, and finally the settlement process. However, we can also proceed to trial when necessary. Our attorneys will always update you and keep you in full control of your case. Although we cannot promise you that you will not have to visit our office at one point, or that you won’t have to go to court (rarely will you be required to step foot in court), we can promise you that we will do all we can to ensure that your rights are protected and give you the peace of mind you need to recuperate quickly.  

Most car accidents are always complicated including minor accidents that sometimes get complex, and that’s the main reason why most car accident victims in Los Angeles hire professional attorneys from our office. When given a chance, insurance adjusters will not only try to diminish your payout to an unjust amount but may also deny your claim. Without an experienced attorney in your corner, you will be compensated with an unfair amount for everything from car repairs, hassles of renting a car, to lost wages and medical bills.

If you don’t have any legal knowledge in auto accidents, you may find it difficult to determine whether you’re taking the right steps. Consulting an attorney from the Los Angeles Personal Injury Law Firm can make a difference in your claim. Our attorneys will provide you with the right answers in all your claim paperwork. Our experienced professionals will also help you determine if you’re being treated unfairly, prepare you on what to expect, and how much you should expect.

If you determine that you cannot solve your case alone and that you need the help of an experienced attorney, waiting for a long time before you hire your attorney can sometimes be detrimental to your car accident claim. Below are four main reasons as to why you need to seek the assistance of an attorney as early as possible to help you make your claim:

1. Delaying in pursuing your claim sends a message to the insurance company that you don’t want to seek for compensation, or that you aren’t hurt. In most cases, failing to get treatment promptly or the right medication is an indication that making a claim isn’t important to you and therefore, it shouldn’t be a priority to your insurance company.
2. After an accident, an insurance adjuster will take your statement soon after. If there are any inaccuracies in your statement no matter how small they are, the insurance company will use this information against you when making your claim. Sometimes making exclamations indicating that the injuries weren’t as bad as they seem, especially when talking to the insurance adjuster, can reduce your financial recovery significantly. Similarly to how most criminals always demand to talk to their attorneys before they disclose or answer any questions to the authorities, you should always ask for your car accident lawyer before you give any information to insurance adjusters.
3. If you wait for too long before talking to an attorney, this can keep your attorney from wanting to represent you because they may be unable to assist you to properly make a claim, especially if you had tried to settle the claim on your own. In case you attempt to settle on your own, and the amount is too high or too low, your attorney may be unable to use his or her abilities to establish the best value for your claim.
4. When you delay for a period of more than two years before making a car accident claim and without having filed a lawsuit, this will prevent you from making any action because the set time frame in the California statutes to make your claim will have expired. This means that you’ll have lost your rights to recover except in very rare and isolated situations.

In the event of a car accident, even a minor one, in case you aren’t sure on what to do or what your rights are, it’s wise to talk to an attorney to provide you with legal advice on how to handle your case and what to do next. Your Los Angeles car accident attorney will answer all your questions, and also assist you in determining the next legal step that you should take.