Being in a car accident is a stressful event, whether you are injured or not. If you are injured, lose a loved one in an accident, or your vehicle is damaged or totaled, the stress becomes nearly intolerable. And getting back on your feet afterward is a challenging endeavor.
While you can always handle an accident claim on your own, there are a number of reasons that having a car accident lawyer do it for you is beneficial.
Provides Clarity
A great thing about a car accident lawyer is that they’ll help you understand the process of making a claim and what your rights are in the situation. This can give you the clarity and confidence you need to proceed.
Gather All the Evidence and Necessary Paperwork
One of the most frustrating parts of making a claim is dealing with the paperwork. You need several things to prove you have no liability in the accident. This includes photographs, police reports, medical documentation, bills, and more.
With some of this – especially medical documentation – it takes more than a phone call. Most medical facilities have specific ways that they have to handle requests, and you have to follow their procedures to make it happen. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to determine what these procedures are.
Car accident lawyers are experienced at dealing with it all. Not only will they handle gathering all medical documentation, but they’ll also typically speak to the officers who responded to the scene, take pictures themselves, and take any other steps necessary to ensure you have full and complete evidence for your claim.
Deal With the Insurance Company
An equally frustrating component of a car accident claim is dealing with the other person’s insurer. Their claims adjuster is the person who will determine if you have a claim and how much the insurer should compensate you.
To be fair, they’re not evil people. However, they do work for an insurance company that hopes to pay as little as possible. The adjuster is going to try to make this happen.
If you try to manage the claim on your own, you might not have the skills or knowledge necessary to negotiate with them properly. An attorney, on the other hand, handles negotiations all of the time. They know how to deal with insurance companies to ensure you are compensated fairly.
And often, just having representation makes adjusters less likely to lowball their offer. That’s not to say they still don’t start with a lower offer, as this is their job. However, negotiation tactics tend to change when you have legal representation.
Of course, you can always handle a car accident claim on your own. However, having a car accident lawyer on your side saves you time and frustration while almost always providing a much better outcome than you might receive on your own.
Before you decide to try to manage it by yourself, schedule an appointment with an attorney. Most offer a free consultation and many only collect compensation when you do, meaning you usually don’t need to pay out-of-pocket to get representation.