When Should You Hire A Car Accident Lawyer?

If you’ve been involved in a car accident, hiring a car accident lawyer may be the last thing to cross your mind. In most cases, minor car accidents can be resolved amicably. But, as pleasing as this may sound, it’s not always the case. There are instances when things may get a little bit more tricky, especially when serious damages or, worse, personal injury or death is involved.

Hiring an experienced car accident lawyer will work to your advantage in more ways than one. Apart from making the entire process smoother for you, you get to enjoy many other benefits.

But, when do you really know if it’s time to hire a car accident lawyer? The breakdown of details can be found below.

1. Serious Injuries Happen

In minor car accidents, chances are you’ll not be needing the assistance of a lawyer. A small accident may just be a case of bumping with another vehicle in the parking lot, at a plodding speed. In unfortunate cases, however, serious injuries may occur, which need medical attention.

When there are serious injuries involved, the whole case becomes even more complicated as this will mean that the injured party will be dealing with their insurance companies for compensation, and other what-nots. This is when an auto accident lawyer, with their expertise and experience, comes in handy.

2. You’re Not Familiar With The Local Laws

Are you just visiting the state during the accident? Perhaps, you just moved in, or you’re simply not familiar with the laws and legal processes. It’s also possible that the terms surrounding the car driven in the accident seem too tricky for you to completely understand, especially when you’re only leasing the car.

If that is the case, it’s best to have an auto accident lawyer by your side. If you don’t know anything about the law, then how can you achieve the best settlement for your case? How will you be able to file it in the courts? A car accident lawyer eases out all this confusion for you.

3. Death Happens

The last thing that anyone ever wants to happen in an accident is for death to occur. When death happens, the entire accident gets more complicated. Naturally, there are a lot of legalities and liabilities to take note of, including matters regarding fault and compensation. Even if, for instance, you know that you’re innocent, when death happens, it’s best to seek the help of a car accident lawyer.

4. Insurance Companies Start Calling

Insurance companies are the very first ones to be notified in the event of an accident, apart from the police and the medical team. Naturally so, as in the case of damage to property, the aggrieved party will be represented by their insurance company. In this case, you need the help and the assistance of a car accident lawyer.

You’re never on equal footing with insurance companies as they’re more knowledgeable about the law than you are. If you’re a victim, more than anything else, you want to be compensated well enough by the other party’s insurance company. On the one hand, if you’re the negligent party, then you want to make sure that you’re only asked for the right amount. A lawyer can help smooth out these matters.

5. Fault Is Unclear

There are instances when the fault is unclear, for example, when there is a lack of witnesses around to testify. It could also be that both parties may have been negligent, but it’s just up to the determination of who approximately caused the damage or who has been more negligent. When this is the case, a lawyer on both sides can help determine fault. The years of experience of car accident lawyers can give a better and more profound determination of fault and negligence.

6. Multiple People Are Harmed

There are cases during car accidents where harm to multiple people has been incurred. Victims do not only include drivers and passengers of both vehicles, but also encompass bystanders, pedestrians, or even drivers or passengers of surrounding cars. Because of the severity of the impact, they, too, have been dragged in the accident.

Just like death, this situation also makes the accident trickier to deal with. That’s because there are now more victims with varying types and severity of injuries. In this case, a car accident lawyer is a must.

Conclusion

Although you try to avoid accidents as much as you can, unfortunately, these things are an everyday, inevitable occurrence. Once you’re on the road, it’s a given fact that you’re exposing yourself to the natural hazards in the form of car accidents. Meeting one, however, doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. There are many ways and many individuals that come as a welcome aid to help ease out the stress that goes with car accidents. If you happen to experience any of the circumstances mentioned above, it’s a telltale sign that it’s the right time to hire a car accident lawyer.