What to Expect from a Car Accident Lawyer
What to Expect from a Car Accident Lawyer: After the occurrence of a car accident, the thought of securing the services of a lawyer or a car accident lawyer may not ordinarily be the first in mind. It is therefore important and very necessary to understand the need to have a personal injury attorney. The most crucial thing after such an accident is that you are aware of your rights, how to and from whom to claim your compensation for the car accident injuries suffered.
For the case of a car accident, a car Accident Lawyer would be best suited to advise on your legal rights and options for following up a claim seeking compensation for any injury sustained. The need to understand your legal rights and the options available is most important, notwithstanding your choice of not hiring a car accident lawyer.
What Does a Car Accident Attorney Do for You?
Among the numerous advantages of obtaining the services or hiring a car accident lawyer include:
Explain Your Legal Rights
To find protection and remedy under the law, one would need to understand the nature, extent, and implication of their legal rights. It is normal for most people not to be aware or very knowledgeable about their legal rights when it comes to personal injury lawsuit. That is why having a car accident lawyer is necessary.
A car accident lawyer, being an expert in personal and accident injury laws would be best placed to explain your legal rights in that regard. This is the first step, before delving into any further issues. It is important to note that the need to understand your legal rights is informed by the fact that you have the ultimate say. The car accident lawyer only advises you on the options available, and you instruct him on your most preferred option. This includes even authorizing your car accident lawyer to fully take up the matter and pursue your claim on your behalf while exercising their most skill, professionalism, and diligence.
The said legal rights are obtained and provided from various laws and statutes; which would always be applicable and have an impact on the fate of your car accident injury claim. Such laws may include insurance, comparative fault rules, statutes of limitation, and negligence laws among many others.
At-fault Insurance
The state of California is an at-fault state for car insurance and car accidents. This essentially means that when an accident has occurred, the insured company of the driver that has caused the accident will shoulder the burden and bear the liability for the accident, and therefore compensate you for your injuries. This is where an experienced car accident lawyer comes in, to provide legal advice on your claim and how to pursue your claim with the insurance. Having an expert car accident lawyer to handle the paperwork, correspondence and even negotiating for the highest compensation package available for your injuries, is of utmost importance.
Statutes of Limitation
The provisions of the law provide for how a person can make a claim for compensation in court. This includes the duration in which a claim may be sustained in court and the tight timelines after which a claim may not be filed. In as much as most car accident injury claims are settled by Insurance Companies, there are times in which such settlement may not be forthcoming. It is always therefore necessary to understand the limitations of time about filing suit.
The deadline for filing personal injury suits in the state of California is two years, from the date of occurrence of the accident. Other claims have a shorter limitation of time. For example, injury claims against a government entity must be filed within six months of your accident.
Your car accident attorney will therefore be most helpful in enlightening you on the strict timelines, which are essentially cast in stone, within which their right to compensation may still be ‘alive’. Having such timelines in mind is crucial as it would inform the need to hasten the process of identifying witnesses, and evidence among many other factors necessary to firm up a successful suit in court. This information would easily be provided by a car accident lawyer.
Comparative Negligence
A common occurrence of car accidents is that multiple parties may share fault for a car accident. The State of California is a pure comparative negligence state. This means that more than one person can be blameworthy for a car accident, including the victim. The liability as a result of your conduct or fault that caused the accident would be taken into account by the court while awarding compensation. If you contributed to your accident in one or the other, your car accident lawyer will explain the effect of California’s comparative negligence rules on the success of your claim.
For instance, when a car accident occurred when a driver who was speeding hit your car after you failed to yield the right of way, you may be found 30% responsible for the accident by the Jury. This would mean that you will only be entitled to an award of 70% of your damages. The services of a car accident lawyer would be important to advise you on how to minimize or even extinguish your liability while maximizing the driver’s liability for an accident,
Provides Legal Advice Regarding Your Case
It is noteworthy that there may be some individuals or even professionals who would be keen on providing legal advice to you. Be cautious about them. For instance, an insurance claims adjuster may represent themselves as understanding the legal aspects of helping you pursue your claim, yet their sole intention is to make you settle for the minimum award possible. This is because they are only interested in safeguarding the interests of the Insurance Company, where they earn a source of living.
It is with this in mind that a car accident lawyer would review your case and provide you with a trusted assessment of your claim. The experience of handling numerous personal injury and car accident claims best positions your experienced car accident lawyers to advise you on all the options available and suggest to you the best option.
What to Expect from a Car Accident Lawyer: Investigates the Car Crash
One may wonder what role would car accident lawyers have in investigating a Car Crash. Understandably, the investigation may involve many experts who have different intentions. However, for the sake of pursuing a personal injury claim, the cause of the accident and the extent of damage and injury would be the primary intention of a car accident lawyer. They would nonetheless handle all aspects of the accident investigation, taking various steps like:
- Gathering physical evidence for the crash scene, including videos of the accident captured by traffic cameras and nearby surveillance cameras
- Interview witnesses and take statements
- Obtain and review the police report or accident report
- Request copies of your medical records and discuss the severity of your serious injuries with your physicians
- Work with medical experts, accident re-constructionists, and other experts to prove fault and liability
All these activities are necessary because the burden falls squarely on you to adduce evidence and prove that it is the other party that is to blame for the accident, and why and to what extent you deserve to be compensated. The involvement of your car accident lawyer would establish the cause of the crash, identify the persons blameworthy for the crash, and collect and sort out all the requisite evidence as necessary.
The conduct of a car crash investigation may be time-consuming, complicated, and costly. However, a car accident lawyer and personal injury attorney have the resources, skills, and experience to complete an investigation.
Documents Damages
Car accident lawyers usually have high incentives and motivation to enable you to obtain the most favorable award in compensation for your injury. This is informed by the fact that the Car accident attorney would only be paid or entitled to legal fees on a contingency basis, meaning that they are only paid when you win/are paid.
The Car accident attorney would therefore work with you and your physicians to document your damages. These damages resulting from a car accident claim may include:
- Medical expenses and bills
- Cost of therapy and personal care
- Loss of income and benefits
- Impairments and disabilities
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental trauma and emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Reduced quality of life
Your attorney works to maximize the value of each type of damage.
Negotiates a Fair Settlement
An experienced car accident lawyer understands how to value a claim. The attorney knows the best way to calculate economic losses and pain and suffering damages.
An insurance company always looks forward to inexperienced victims who claim compensation. However, the presence of a car accident lawyer greatly shifts the dynamics. You will have superior bargaining power, given the blameworthiness of the driver. The insurance company always has its interests in mind with the hope of minimizing compensation awards, while stifling your right to ever pursue any related personal injury lawsuits by relying on personal injury laws, if later dissatisfied with their offer.
Having a car accident lawyer on the negotiation table is a key move that will ensure your interests are protected at all times, as you are relieved of the burden of pursuing such intense and important negotiations.
Car accident lawyers are trained, skilled negotiators. They understand how to increase your chances of receiving the best settlement possible for your car accident claim. The Insurance companies would therefore be inclined to provide a fairer settlement, upon the sight of an auto accident lawyer.
Represents You in Court
This is the default understanding of the role of lawyers. The courts are the battlegrounds for lawyers, hence they have the requisite skill knowledge, experience, and diligence required in representing your interests in court.
The need to have a motor vehicle accident lawyer file suit and papers on your behalf in court arises where settlement out of court, which is by the Insurance Company, was not fruitful. This is usually sort of the last resort, as the court would now be called upon to guide and provide a definitive award upon hearing your case, evidence, and submissions.
All through this court process, an auto accident lawyer would have everything in control, while safeguarding your interests at all material times.
Filing a lawsuit allows your car accident attorney to gather additional evidence against the adverse party. This is another step and indication to the Insurance Company about your seriousness and commitment to pursue your claim in court, which would at times make the Insurance Company reconsider their offer.
What is the Key Thing You Need to Remember About Car Accident Lawyers?
Most attorneys offer free consultations for car accident victims. Therefore, it may not cost you anything to talk with a lawyer about your case.
Consulting with a car accident attorney allows you to get more information about personal injury claims. The more information you have about injury claims, the better prepared you are to hire a personal injury lawyer or risk handling the case yourself.
Call Big Ben Law Lawyers Right Away
The team at Big Ben Law is immediately aware of the fear and concern that any personal injury emanating from a car accident can cause. Imagine, for example, that you and your family are still suffering from the consequences of a car accident. If this is the case, our personal injury lawyers can provide you with the support you need to proceed with the lawsuit confidently. To help you establish responsibility for your losses and look into every possible source of compensation for your car accident claim, we’ll carefully examine the circumstances of how the car accident occurred.
The sooner you hire legal representation after a car accident, the better your prospects are of getting the maximum compensation permitted under California’s law. If you’re prepared to discuss your legal options with a skilled team of Big Ben lawyers personal injury lawyers, get in touch with our team to arrange your free legal consultation.
Put your faith in Big Ben Lawyers to defend your rights. To discuss your options, contact our personal injury lawsuit lawyers for a free consultation. Please get in touch with us right away to discuss your bicycle accident lawsuit.
Is any Car Accident Lawyer Near Me?
Big Ben Lawyers are near you and they are available to help you recover compensation in any car accident lawsuits that you may want to pursue in California.
Contact Big Ben Lawyers Today
Big Ben Lawyers’ personal injury lawyers realize how stressful the aftermath of a bicycle accident or a car accident is. Big Ben Lawyers must assist our clients get through this tough event by aiding them with the convoluted legal process and giving them the best chance of receiving the highest compensation they deserve.
Do not delay if you or a loved one is a victim of a bicycle accident case. Contact Big Ben Lawyers immediately for a free case examination, or phone us at the numbers listed on our website. We also advise the injury victims to put together their medical bills, and evidence as well as to let us know how much compensation they would want as well as advise them on all the issues surrounding their cases.
Do not hesitate to contact our able Firm of Attorneys and we shall pursue your personal injury cases with passion.
Big Ben Lawyers
144 N Glendale Ave.
Suite 250
Glendale, CA 91206