No one wants to be in a car accident. After the crash is over with, you have to deal with insurance companies.
The reality is that going to court without a lawyer can cost you thousands of dollars of deserved compensation. With approximately 6 million car accidents in the U.S. alone in a single year, understanding your rights can be crucial.
But what services do car accident lawyers offer exactly?
In this article, I will go over everything you need to know on the topic of car accidents and legal services so you are well-informed about the situation.
What You Will Find In This Guide:
- What Car Accident Legal Services Are
- Why Insurance Companies Aren’t On Your Side
- The True Cost Of Not Having Legal Services
- What Car Accident Lawyers Do
- When You Definitely Need Legal Services
Before you dive into the depths of car accidents and law matters, you should know that any person who has been involved in a car accident in any way can get access to a car accident lawyer.
If you have a legal claim regarding a car accident and you need access to any services within that area, you can choose a car accident lawyer.
What Are Car Accident Legal Services
In a nutshell, car accident legal services are not as simple as getting a person that is going to talk to the insurance adjusters on your behalf.
Lawyers that deal with car accident legal services are there to ensure that they get you the most you deserve for your accident or mishap. Ravid & Associates and other legal firms are up for the task at hand.
They gather all the necessary details and then fight for you so you can go and live your life without any hassle on your mind.
Think about it this way…
If you are in an accident and get injured, you have to deal with doctors, medical bills, physical pain, insurance companies, and so much more.
You probably do not have time to do any research about car accident legal services at that time.
The situation can become quite overwhelming for anyone.
Can You Trust Insurance Companies?
Let me be honest about this topic…
Insurance company adjusters work for the insurance companies themselves. They are not your buddy and are not going to give you a fair compensation without a good fight.
You can be sure that those adjusters are going to be trying to pay you as little as possible.
They also have tactics, such as:
- Making extremely low first offers
- Offering a very low amount quickly
- Taking your word against yours
- Claiming that your injury is not as bad as you say
- Claiming you do not need a car accident lawyer
Guess what is the worst part about it?
If you do not know the value of your claim, you are going to accept any kind of offer that may seem fair to you.
You do not have to do it, though. That is not how life works.
What Can Happen If You Go Without Legal Services?
Statistics can never lie.
Based on research, accident victims with legal representation receive settlements nearly 3.5 times higher than those who do not have legal help.
The difference is not at all small; that is an insane amount of money.
Something even more interesting is the fact that, even after you pay attorney fees, those who are working with lawyers end up walking away with approximately 3 times more money than those who go without legal help.
Let us break this down even more so that you can get a better picture…
If an insurance company offers you $20,000, that seems like a lot of money when medical bills keep coming.
With legal services, you can receive an offer from $60,000 and more.
After you pay off attorney fees, you are still going to have much more money than if you just settle on your own.
The Role Of Legal Services
Legal services do not only include negotiating with insurance companies.
A good car accident lawyer will take care of every aspect of the case, which means that you do not have to.
The whole legal process will be taken care of as they will be:
- Investigating the accident
- Collecting all evidence
- Interviewing witnesses
- Building a case for your side
Here is what you get with proper legal services:
- Fair valuation of your claim — Lawyers will know exactly how to calculate all your damages, including future medical costs and lost earning capacity
- Expert negotiation — Insurance adjusters cannot outplay the lawyer since they have years of experience
- Collecting evidence — Whether it is a police report or medical records, they have the expertise
- Expertise in the laws and statutes that apply in your case
- Trial preparation — If the negotiations fail, then the lawyer will be ready to take the case to court
For most people, car accident claims are not simple.
In fact, deadlines need to be met, paperwork needs to be filed, and legal procedures have to be followed to a tee.
Miss a deadline?
You just lost the right to compensation.
Are There Certain Circumstances In Which You Should Consider Legal Services?
Car accidents come in all shapes and sizes.
Some are minor, and no one is injured. The only case would be a bit of property damage and not that much harm done.
While these kinds of accidents are not something you need a lawyer for, there are certain instances when you will need one.
Serious Injuries
If you have sustained serious injuries, there is no other way about it. You need legal services.
You should not even think about going without a lawyer in such a case.
Why is that?
Serious injuries involve serious money.
Your medical bills can easily reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. The recovery process may last months or years. The injuries may be so extreme that you are unable to work.
A car accident lawyer will ensure that you are fully compensated for all your troubles.
Disputed Liability
Sometimes, the other driver will say that they are not to blame.
A lot of times, when this happens, it gets quite complicated.
You are going to need someone who can investigate the accident, collect evidence, and prove that something else is happening.
Insurance companies love these kinds of accidents as they know that the majority of people will accept a lower amount or simply give up.
That is not something you want to do.
Multiple Parties Involved
Accidents with more than one party and car can get quite messy.
The question of liability is one thing. If one of the drivers is uninsured, then it gets even worse.
The entire situation needs to be sorted out by lawyers as they have the expertise to make that happen.
Insurance Company Pushback
If the insurance company denies your claim, gives you an unreasonably low settlement, or is otherwise difficult to deal with, it is time to hire a lawyer.
Lawyers know how to push and how to escalate the situation when it is required to do so.
The Conclusion
Car accident legal services are a must when you get into an accident that was not your fault and you were injured.
Key points:
- Insurance companies are a business and are only concerned about making a profit. The sooner you get over the accident, the better it is for their business
- Legal services can triple your settlement
- Lawyers are going to take care of all the legal process so you do not have to
- In certain situations, legal help is a must
The decision to hire a car accident lawyer is not based on the fact of if you can afford it.
Lawyers that deal with car accident matters, for the most part, work on a contingency basis, which means that you will not have to pay anything unless the lawyer wins the case.
The decision is about if you can afford not to hire a lawyer.
The estimated traffic fatalities are 39,345 in the U.S. alone in 2024.
The stakes are too high to leave your future to chance.
