Why You Need an Auto Accident Lawyer after an Accident?

The moments immediately after an auto accident can be confusing, painful and critical to the next few weeks or months. You have to decide who’s at fault and whether you need to get legal backup. If you or a loved one have recently been in an accident and are wondering how to navigate the legal processes, then you need an auto accident lawyer.

There are several reasons why you’ll need an attorney in the aftermath of a crash, whether or not you are injured or at fault. Many are unequipped to handle these issues on their own, even if they can prove who was at fault at the time of the accident. However, a legal representative has the knowledge and experience to weigh your options and decide the next course of action. Click here to learn what to do after an accident.

The following are key reasons to hire an auto accident lawyer or injury attorney.

1. Proper Investigation

While you can hire an independent investigator to review the accident scene and follow up the reports, you may not have the knowledge to know what to look for. And unless you have proper training, an experienced attorney is in the best place to handle the investigation and follow up with the necessary reports.

Proper investigation means collection scene footage, police and eye witness reports and automobile inspection, among other things. A reliable lawyer will know how to find evidence and information that will give you the desired results. This is especially necessary if you’re not at fault in the case. Then, they’ll submit their findings to the insurance company for proper compensation.

2. Sticking to Deadlines

If the incident isn’t settled outside court or there’s a reason to file a lawsuit, a lawyer is in the best position to know the dates and processes. You can take these steps yourself but may be stalled at some point or lose the lawsuit because of late filing. Every car accident and injury lawsuit has a statute of limitations for filing. Depending on the state, the time limit can range from two to six years.

For example, the time limit in Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania is two days starting from the date of the accident. You can follow this link, https://munley.com/philadelphia/car-accident-lawyers/, for more information on getting a good legal representative in this city. For a place like New York, the limit is three years. Even with this knowledge, you’ll still need to gather some documents and reports to ensure everything is in order before filing the claim and that’s something only an attorney can do well.

3. Insurance Negotiations

No one else does a better job of negotiating insurance claims than a lawyer. They will likely be discussing with other lawyers, so it’s best to allow the professionals to handle it. The truth is that insurance companies will always try to play a fast one on unsuspecting or naive claimants. They’ll try to wiggle out of settlements or offer amounts way below what is right for such situations.

Being in the right in any legal claims or lawsuits is crucial, but if you had an accident that was the fault of someone else, being right is not enough. You don’t want to go against an insurer alone. Accidents don’t account for physical injuries alone; there is usually psychological damage in many cases.

So when seeking a settlement, the lawyer is the best person to ask for an amount that covers seen and unseen injuries, including for long-term support. Otherwise, you might have to settle for less than you deserve.

4. No Upfront Charges

While this is not always the case, many injury attorneys don’t charge anything before taking on your case. Why? They rely on contingency fees to make up for their time. If this is your first time filing a claim or lawsuit, you may be unfamiliar with the term. A contingency fee is a specific percentage of the jury verdict or settlement offer for the claimant.

The general percentage is 30% but that also depends on an agreement between you and your lawyer. You may be wondering how your legal representative gets paid if they lose the case or get no settlement from the insurance company.

The truth is they don’t get paid, so it’s as important to them as it is to you that they win. After all, their payment depends on it and the higher the amount, the more they stand to gain. The bottom line is that it’s affordable to hire such an attorney since you don’t have to pay them out of your pocket.

5. Courtroom Experience

We’ve talked about lawsuits and hiring someone who can correctly file them in a timely manner. But they must have the experience to represent you in court if the case gets to that point. It hardly ever gets to that point but you want to be sure you have a capable representative on your side. They must know how to follow due process and present evidence to the court and present their argument in a convincing fashion.

Conclusion

There are various other reasons for hiring a competent auto accident lawyer, including courtroom representation, insurance claims and affordability. You’ll find many reliable attorneys in this specialization but you must pay careful attention to ensure you pick the most suitable option for your case, someone who will truly be on your side.

Research as much as possible and get several choices before narrowing the list by checking experience and success rates. That way, you will get your rightful compensation.