If you’ve been injured in an auto accident that wasn’t your fault, you may be surprised by how expensive the accident turned out to be, and you may not know what you are supposed to do now. Depending on the extent of your injuries, you could incur hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, lost wages, and other costs. It’s not fair that those costs are entirely on your shoulders! You may have seen billboards advertising personal injury lawyers, or you may have received advice from friends that this is the next step you should take.
However, you may be hesitant to take legal action; you may wonder whether hiring an attorney is truly necessary, or if it makes you seem like an overly litigious person, or whether the cost of legal representation will be worth the help you’ll get. These are all good and reasonable questions! Most people don’t know what a law firm can actually do for them after an auto accident, or how working with an injury lawyer works. The truth is that having an attorney on your side can make an enormous difference in the amount of compensation you will end up receiving.
Here are 5 (of many) good reasons to hire a personal injury attorney after an auto accident!
1 – A Personal Injury Attorney Can Accurately Value Your Claim
Especially if you have never been in an auto accident before, one of the benefits of working with a personal injury attorney is that they can help you understand exactly how much the sum of your injuries is worth. An insurance adjuster, while they may seem compassionate and friendly and trustworthy, is ultimately working for the good of the company, which may be directly at odds with your own best interests.
You may be able to make an estimate of how much you spent on medical bills (though it will be difficult, while you are recovering, to keep up with all of the paperwork and various transactions you may make related to your accident and forget about), and you may be able to calculate your lost wages, but the insurance company should also compensate you for the pain and suffering you endured as a result of your injuries. You may not know the legal precedent for what you should be paid for that.
An attorney can give you an answer about the dollar value of your accident that you can rely on! Because most personal injury attorneys charge on a contingency fee basis, meaning that they only get paid after you win a settlement, and only as a percentage of that settlement, you can rest assured that they are looking out for your interests (which are the same as their own).
2 – A Personal Injury Attorney Can Force The Insurance Companies To Take You Seriously
On your own, you have little negotiating power with insurance companies. They are not afraid of or intimidated by you, because the most you can do on your own is be a nuisance. It can be difficult to make a claim and frustrating to try to even reach a representative in the first place. If your claim is denied or devalued, it will be exhausting and likely fruitless to try to argue or negotiate with them. While you are recovering, the only thing you should have to worry about is feeling better! A personal injury lawyer can serve as an advocate that will make the insurance company pay attention to your claim. Because they know the law and can threaten to take your case to court, insurance companies will be much more willing to cooperate with you if you have representation!
3 – A Personal Injury Attorney Can Handle All Of The Paperwork For You
We alluded to this when discussing reasons #1 and #2, but there is a lot of paperwork gathering and completing involved in filing a personal injury claim, and the only thing that you should have to focus on is healing. When you hire a personal injury attorney after an auto accident, they can take care of everything for you. You can rest knowing your case is being handled by an expert!
4 – A Personal Injury Attorney Has Experience With Cases Like Yours
Personal injury lawyers often have handled cases that are identical to yours before, and can help you overcome any obstacles that may be in your way. For example, litigating pile up crashes or rideshare crashes or commercial truck crashes can be difficult because many different parties may be liable; a lawyer can explain exactly how Texas law pertains to your specific case and explain all of your options.
5 – A Personal Injury Attorney Can Represent You In Court If Necessary
One of the biggest benefits you get when you hire a personal injury attorney after an auto accident is the ability to go to trial and stand a good chance at winning. The vast majority of injury cases settle out of court, because going to court can be incredibly time-consuming (potentially taking months or even years) and incredibly expensive. However, sometimes insurance companies will settle because they know that a judge or jury would be more likely to award you with a higher amount if you did go to trial. Your personal injury lawyer can help you determine whether or not settling is your best option, and if it isn’t, they can prepare your case for trial (which is an involved and complex legal process).
It’s worth knowing that threatening to go to trial – which again, is more effective with an attorney’s assistance – may result in a higher payout. Nolo surveyed readers across the U.S. and found that participants who threatened to file a lawsuit were both a) more likely to receive a settlement and b) get payouts that were almost twice as high as readers who didn’t file or threaten to file lawsuits ($45,500 compared to $23,000, on average).
Call Ted Machi & Associates, P.C., To Schedule A Complimentary Legal Consultation!
Do you need to hire a personal injury attorney after an auto accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence? Call Ted Machi & Associates, P.C., to speak with a local Texas personal injury lawyer who has recovered significant compensation for clients. Our lead attorney, Ted Machi, has over 25 years of experience, and because our firm is small, we offer dedicated attorney attention, frequent communication, and personalized service that larger firms can’t compete with! We can listen to your story and answer all of your questions. We will gather all of the necessary documentation and do whatever it takes to win you the compensation you deserve! Book a free consultation today to get started.