One of the questions that surely nag any person who got involved in a car accident is whether or not they need to hire a personal injury lawyer after the accident. And while their mind is probably already on to the next question of how to find a personal injury lawyer, it’s important to take a step back and understand that the answer to the first question depends on the specific context and circumstances of the accident.
If you want to know whether you should hire a personal injury lawyer after getting involved in this type of emergency, you can surf and read some information on why you should hire a car accident attorney.
When You Need a Lawyer After an Accident
Although going through the litigation process can be quite burdensome and expensive, even in the United States, which has a fairly advanced court system that can render an award more quickly than those in other countries, there are still instances when pressing your claims for compensation are justified and should be pursued until you receive the compensation you deserve.
Here are some factors and instances which you should keep in mind as triggers that say maybe the situation calls for asking help from a car accident lawyer:
- When You Have Serious Injuries
The first thing you should take into account before you hire an attorney after getting involved in a car accident is whether or not you or any of your passengers sustained injuries. If you sustained injuries, especially if these are serious or life-changing injuries, then it might be advisable for you to start consulting with a legal expert, such as those from https://www.eastonlawoffices.com/, who can represent your claims against the other party.
- When The Insurance Company Refuses to Pay
Another scenario that would justify the hiring of a car accident lawyer would be when the car insurance company refuses to pay you the compensation which you justly deserve for the injuries that you or any of your passengers sustained. In some states, though, there’s personal injury protection that would payout even though the party is made to pay is at fault.
- When The Other Party Denies Their Liability
Another scenario that would justify that you seriously consider hiring a car accident lawyer is when the other party disputes their liability for the accident. One of the few important things that your attorney can do for you is to prove and establish that the other party was liable for the accident and the resulting injuries that you sustained.
- When The Settlement Offer Is Too Low
Finally, another instance, which should make you think of hiring a car accident lawyer is when the settlement offers from either the liable party or their insurance company is too low. If you think that the other side or their attorney gave you a very low settlement offer, then, by all means, you should seriously think of hiring a legal professional to make them pay up.
When You Don’t Need a Lawyer
Not every car accident requires that the parties involved should hire a lawyer. This decision should be based on the specific facts and circumstances of each case and each litigant. But there are some factors which you should weigh before you decide whether or not you’re going to enlist the help of legal experts.
- When You Didn’t Sustain Any Injuries
The first instance when you don’t really need to hire a lawyer right away is when you or any of your passengers didn’t sustain any injuries resulting from the car accident.
Getting medical attention and treatment for injuries is one of the major expenses that you’ll incur if you or your passengers sustained serious injuries. If you did incur hospital bills, then, by all means, you should somehow get some reimbursement for every dollar you spent on your treatment. You didn’t want to get injured; surely, the person who was responsible for your injuries should be held liable for shouldering the medical and hospital expenses.
But if you or your passengers didn’t sustain any serious or life-changing injuries, then the opposite should hold true, and you should, conversely, give it a lot of second thought before you engage the services of a lawyer.
- When Your Car Wasn’t Damaged
Another factor that you should take into account before you decide whether or not you should hire a car accident lawyer is if your vehicle sustained damages or not. If there wasn’t really any substantial damage or there were no damages at all to your car, and if no one got hurt because of the accident, then you should seriously think twice before hiring a legal professional.
- When The Cost of Hiring a Lawyer Isn’t Worth It
The third factor which you should take into account before you decide whether or not you’re going to hire a lawyer after getting into a car accident is whether the expenses involved in filing a suit against the other party and incurring court and professional fees would be worth what you expect to get from the court.
The settlement amounts awarded in this type of suit have varied over the years. If you’re going to spend more money pursuing the lawsuit than the amount of compensation that you can expect, then you might as well let it go.
Lawyering Up
The basic criterion which you should use to decide whether or not you’re going to lawyer up and sue the other party in a car accident is whether going through the whole process of suing the other party would be worth all the time, trouble, and expenses that you would incur.
