Car accidents are the most common type of accidents across the U.S. The financial cost of a car accident can easily become huge. While some car accidents are thankfully minor, a more serious car accident may involve emergency medical treatment, ongoing rehabilitation, lost earnings and the repair or replacement cost of your own vehicle.
Hiring a car accident attorney can help to increase your chances of obtaining fair compensation for your financial loss.
Some people who have had a car accident may be reluctant to hire a car accident lawyer, wrongly thinking that they couldn’t afford it. In fact, it can be quite possible to afford legal help.
What Can an Attorney Do For Me?
Insurance companies are not necessarily your best friend when it comes to paying the compensation you deserve. Whatever the circumstances of your car accident, you may find that insurers tend to try and avoid having to pay out anything at all.
If you are dealing with another driver’s insurer, typically after an accident caused by that driver, you will often find that the insurance adjuster will use tactics to avoid paying any compensation at all or offer to pay much less than the amount you deserve.
This is where a car accident attorney can provide valuable legal help. Car accident attorneys will have dealt with car accidents like yours many times before and are experienced when it comes to negotiating with insurers.
The attorney will go through your damages carefully, and will help to obtain evidence you can use to support your claim.
Most negotiations do not proceed to a lawsuit as your attorney will normally reach a settlement with the insurer without a lawsuit being necessary.
However, when the stakes are much higher and the insurer is obstinate, your attorney may advise taking the claim to the civil court in an attempt to force the insurer to pay the compensation demanded.
Expenses for a Car Accident Attorney
Most car accident attorneys offer a contingency legal fee payment arrangement. This usually involves offering a free initial consultation and legal fee payment deferred until settlement.
The attorney will discuss your accident carefully and make an assessment of your chances of winning a claim. It would be unlikely that an attorney would be prepared to take on a claim that had little chance of success as the attorney would then have to bear the financial burden of a failed claim.
On the other hand, if the attorney thinks there is a good chance of success, the fact that a contingency fee is involved means that the plaintiff doesn’t have to worry about affording any upfront legal fees.
The attorney’s fee will be deducted only from the final compensation payment after successfully negotiating settlement.
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If you have been involved in a car accident and are facing a stressful compensation claim with another driver’s insurer, you are advised to hire a personal injury lawyer to help you through the often protracted legal process involved in a personal injury claim.