The aftermath of a car crash may be extremely daunting and unpleasant to deal with, especially if there were injuries involved.
You need to get your vehicle repaired, obtain medical attention for any injuries, and make a claim with either your insurance or the insurance of the other motorist, most likely all at the same time.
During this phase of the procedure, you are undoubtedly pondering the following question: is it necessary for me to hire an auto accident attorney to represent my claim?
The process of resolving a claim and negotiating its terms might be difficult, but unfortunately, insurance companies almost always have the upper hand in such discussions.
Keep reading to learn when it's preferable to handle a claim yourself and when it's necessary to contact an expert attorney to represent you in a claim.
When is it not a good idea to hire a lawyer?
In spite of what you may have been led to believe by advertisements for law firms, not all auto accidents require the services of a legal representative.
Dealing directly with an insurance provider can often be the quickest and easiest way to resolve a claim and ensure that you receive appropriate reimbursement.
You probably don't need a lawyer if:
- The other driver acknowledges that they are entirely to blame for what happened.
- Il n'y a pas de blessés
- The car and the property both barely sustained minimal damage.
- Vous vous sentez suffisamment en confiance pour négocier votre propre règlement
In straightforward circumstances, the amount of the compensation that is being provided by your insurance company (or the other insurance company representing the driver) is adequate to pay any little damage or injury that has occurred.
At this stage, it is possible that dealing with the issue yourself will end up costing you more money than hiring a lawyer and paying attorney costs.
When do I need to hire a lawyer for a car accident?
There are situations in which retaining the services of a lawyer who specializes in auto accidents is in your best interest. If you find yourself in any of the following scenarios, you should seek the opinion of a lawyer.
You have significant injuries. If you are critically hurt in an accident and have large medical expenditures as a result of the event, you should hire a lawyer to defend you. You, on the other hand, are not an expert in the art of negotiating the thousands of injury claims that insurance companies handle every year.
Your claim will be properly evaluated thanks to the negotiations that will be conducted on your behalf with the insurance company by a competent attorney who has experience handling personal injury cases.
Hiring a lawyer will increase the likelihood that you will receive adequate compensation to pay the costs of your medical care and treatment.
The issue of fault has not been resolved. Because of Ohio's adoption of the contributory negligence rule, it is possible for both drivers involved in a collision to share some degree of responsibility for the incident, depending on the specifics of the situation.
If you are found to be partially responsible for an accident, the amount of financial compensation that you are eligible to receive will be proportional to the degree to which you were at fault.
If you are involved in an accident in which fault is unclear, the other motorist attempts to blame you more for the accident, or the other driver attempts to blame you for the accident in its entirety, you should hire a lawyer.
In situations where your guilt cannot be definitively established, you should hire a lawyer to argue on your behalf and guarantee that you are judged fairly.
The insurance company does not want to do business with you. Claims for bodily injury are sometimes, but not always, rejected by insurance carriers.
If the insurance company has refused to bargain further with you despite the fact that your claim has been denied or that you have been offered a settlement that is inadequate, it is time to seek the assistance of a professional.
You do not feel confident to handle your complaint. When it comes to the resolution of a claim, the goal of the insurance company is almost always diametrically opposed to the goal that you have for the resolution of the claim: you want to receive the greatest possible amount of compensation, while the insurance company wants to pay out the least amount possible.
The insurance company has an edge in this situation because they are familiar with the laws and regulations that govern claims, and they are also professionals in managing the entirety of the claims process. Employing an experienced attorney to represent you in negotiations is a good idea if you don't feel comfortable doing so on your own.
It's possible that you won't know if you need a lawyer until after you've been in a car accident attorney. Numerous legal practices provide free initial consultations, during which an attorney listens to the details of an accident and then provides feedback on whether or not they believe the client has a strong case.
If you are at a loss for what to do, it is best to get the advice of multiple businesses before settling on a course of action.
