If you were recently involved in an automobile accident, you must have incurred thousands in car repairs and medical costs. You might also be dealing with lost wages and stability. You need not bear the expenses out of your pocket for a mishap that is not your fault. As a victim, an accident compensation claim can be made against the erring party whereupon the other party is liable to compensate for damages and injury.
The process of seeking compensation, also called personal injury settlement, is a long and tiring process. Besides, after doing all the running around, you might only get a portion of what you are actually entitled to. For this reason experts always advise working with a car accident attorney. ‘
What does a Car Accident Attorney do?
A personal injury attorney handles the legal formalities ensuing from a car accident. Failure to provide necessary documents can cost you a large portion of compensation you are entitled to. An attorney evaluates a claim before submitting it. He examines body injury and vehicle damage to rule out foul play or purposeful damage. A car accident lawyer prepares and compiles the essential legal documents to be submitted for a claim to be processed.
Thought not all, a handful of insurance companies give petitioners a hard time as a lay person is unaware of the applicable laws or the procedures of evaluation. They inform petitioners that the policy will cover either medical expenses or car damages but not both. They convince applicants to settle for a smaller compensation instead of not getting anything at all. An experienced car accident attorney having worked on similar cases before knows how to deal with insurance companies. They put pressure on the company and ensure you receive your rightful. They save time and effort. Personal injury attorneys arrange experts to give testimony during court proceedings.
An accused in a car accident can also use the services of a personal injury attorney. As a representative of the accused, the lawyer will try to seek minimum penalty. He will bring up facts in your favor and thus work to reduce compensation amount. He will scrutinize medical and auto bills to make sure you do not pay more than you are liable for. In most cases, attorneys will try to settle cases out of court.
It is easy to find a car accident lawyer. Most lawyers work for firms but a few practice independently. Hence locating one shouldn’t be difficult. One can look up phone directories; lawyers are generally categorized according to their specializations. Online professional directories are another place to look.
The cost of hiring a personal injury lawyer works out to approximately the same as hiring a foreclosure lawyer or a bankruptcy lawyer. However, total costs may vary based on the how the lawyer charges you. Some legal practitioners charge on an hourly basis while others charge a certain percentage of the total compensation awarded to the client. The client has to pay costs for office supplies, distance phone calls or expert witness used during litigation.
