Should I Get a Lawyer for a Car Accident?

A car accident can be an extremely stressful incident, there is the stress of insurance battles, costly medical expenses, personal injury, getting your car fixed, and the legal procedures that follow. How essential is it to get a lawyer post-car accident? Can you get by just fine without one? Is it worth what you pay for?
The purpose of this article is to answer these inquiries for you.

How Essential Is It To Get a Lawyer After an Accident?

When it comes to this question, it is understandable to think: I don't need a lawyer, it was clearly the other party's fault, or that an attorney is far too costly and you could do the same job yourself. You just have to prove that you weren't at fault, right?

However, this can be slightly more complicated than first perceived to be, especially when you must get a favorable outcome from the case in order to successfully claim from your insurance company.

What If the Fault Wasn’t Mine?

In some accidents, there is clearly only one party at fault, and as a result of this, innocent parties tend to think that an attorney is not going to be necessary to win the case. This is not necessarily the correct way to assess the situation, though. Just because the fault was clearly that of the other party does not mean that your insurance company has to pay for all your damages.

Categorically, this way of thinking is untrue and has no basis in terms of fact or law. What this essentially means is that the insurance company is under no obligation to pay anything pending on the outcome of the ongoing case. In these situations, the advantage which an attorney can give you is invaluable, as they are going to provide you with the best counsel and advice in order to obtain the best possible outcome in your case.

How Do I Prove Who Was at Fault?

When proving who was responsible for the accident, more times than not, you are going to find that the other party has a story that differs from yours. Their recollection may differ from yours, and because of this, there can be a debate as to whose story is the correct one.

Time is of the essence in this regard as the more time passes after the occurrence of an accident, the harder it becomes to gather conclusive evidence. An attorney in these situations is going to know exactly what to do and ensure that all the correct procedures are followed, as well as all the evidence gathered to assist you in the ensuing court battle. Oftentimes, the stress caused by the accident are going to cloud your judgment, and you may not be able to react in the way required, and this could prove detrimental at a later stage.

Is a Lawyer Worth the Price?

Now lawyers aren't exactly the cheapest expense, as we all know, and is it really worth paying all that money just to get a successful insurance claim and win the case? The answer to this question is not exactly definitive, and it depends on two possibilities. These possibilities would be that there was little to no damage or injuries which took place, or there was major damage to your motor vehicle and/or a serious injury was suffered.

No Damage Was Suffered and No Injuries Occurred

Now this situation presents a situation in which there is not much to be claimed in terms of financial reimbursement. Should the claim be extremely small, then it may not be worth the time and effort to pursue a claim as your expenses may outweigh your potential gains.

Without any damages, attorneys are not able to cost-effectively pursue the claim.

Major Damage Has Occurred and/or An Injury Has Taken Place

So this is the worst-case scenario, major damage to your motor vehicle has taken place, and you have been injured to an extent to which you cannot work. Moreover, you can’t you afford the cost associated with this.

In such a situation, an attorney might be your best option as they are going to give you the best odds of a successful claim from your insurance company in terms of the repairing of your motor vehicle, the covering of your medical fees, as well as compensation for your lost wages.

Should you attempt to complete the procedures associated with the accident, you may make an error that a professional would not. Thus, the consequences of this error may be extensive. The acquisition of a lawyer in these situations can shield you from any present or future damages that are related to the accident.

The Deciding Factors

Well, in order for us to decide whether it is worthwhile to hire a lawyer, let us compare the advantages of getting a lawyer to the disadvantages in order to come to the best conclusion.

Advantages of Hiring a Lawyer

There are a variety of benefits associated with hiring a lawyer after being involved in a car accident. Here are the most common:

• Increased chance of the case going in your favor
• Increased chance of a successful insurance claim
• No negligence in the handling of the matter is going to occur.
• All possible compensation is going to be received.
• The peace of mind knowing that a professional is handling the matter

Disadvantages of Hiring a Lawyer

Along with the advantages, there are a couple disadvantages that occur when hiring a lawyer. These are:

• You hire a lawyer who is not knowledgeable in personal injury law.
• You hire a lawyer who does not treat your case as a priority. That’s why you should choose a trusted law firm with a reputation of making clients a priority, such as Rosensteel Fleishman.

The Bottom Line

As we can see from the comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of getting a lawyer, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Moreover, these disadvantages can also be combated when winning the case and conducting research to receive a well-established lawyer.

The choice of whether or not you get a lawyer is entirely your own. However, from looking at the possible outcome of having a lawyer fight your case or attempting to rely on your knowledge on how to fight the case, we know we'd feel a lot more comfortable with our very own expert attorney handling the case.

Contact us today to learn how we can help you!