CHECKLIST: DO YOU NEED AN ACCIDENT ATTORNEY?
Unfortunately, there are around 5.5 million car accidents in the United States annually. While every accident is different, there are still a few key indicators that you may want to contact an accident attorney if you're involved in a crash. It is also important to mention that accident attorneys are good for more than just car accidents. If the following points apply to your situation, consider contacting an accident attorney sooner rather than later.
1. SUFFERING PERMANENT OR NEAR PERMANENT DAMAGE
In many cases, those who have suffered severe injuries in a crash may also have some long-term damage to deal with. If this happens to you and you require long-term care as a result, or if you end up permanently disabled, call your personal injury lawyer right away. Only an experienced lawyer can help you determine the cost of your injuries. In addition, a personal injury lawyer can help you figure out how your injuries will impact your potential earnings in the future. This can be very difficult to do on your own. In order to get the most out of your necessary personal injury lawsuit, you will need a lawyer with experience in this area.
2. SEVERE INJURY
Even if you aren’t permanently disabled, suffering a severe injury comes at a high cost. You have to remember that the amount of compensation you are entitled to for injuries is going to depend largely on how severe the injuries are. Your insurance company will measure the severity of your injuries based on the type of injury sustained, the cost of the medical bills, as well as the length of recovery time. If you have even the slightest hint that you are entitled to more than what your insurance company is saying, it never hurts to look into getting an accident attorney, as they may be able to get you more of what you are owed.
3. QUESTIONABLE LIABILITY/MULTIPLE PARTIES
If you're involved in an accident where there are multiple parties that could potentially be liable for your injuries, you should contact an accident attorney. Insurance claims can be difficult to navigate when there are multiple parties involved. In the event that there are several people injured, it could impact the amount of settlement money available. With multiple parties, you could also be subject to insurance claims from the other parties, which would ultimately decrease or reduce your potential earnings to nothing because of your proportional fault regarding the incident. Always contact an attorney if you were injured in an accident and may be partially liable for the accident. An accident attorney can help protect you against counterclaims from other parties who were also involved in the accident.
An accident doesn’t only refer to a car accident. It could be something that happened on the job or on someone else's property, as well. No matter the situation, if any of the above signs apply, it is probably best to get on the phone with an accident attorney right away. To learn more, please contact our team today.