Importance of Legal Counsel After a Car Accident

You’re a victim of a car accident—one of the most common types of accidents experienced by Americans, and subsequently, one of the most prevailing types of claims filed in our courts.  But being a victim of a car accident doesn’t have to equate to a total loss—medical expenses, loss of wages, loss of quality of life, and loss of relationships due to pain and suffering.  Compensations can be achieved, and understanding the importance of legal counsel following your accident is going to be an essential step in doing so.

Can Accident Liability in Question

Car accidents are not always cut and dry, even if you are absolutely certain who the at-fault party is.  Liability frequently becomes a blurred line, and legal counsel after a car accident becomes an imperative step in the claim process.  When presenting your auto accident claim, you’ll want the skill and expertise of a car accident lawyer to gather and collect evidence on your behalf to determine the liability.

Legal counsel will assist you in proving liability for your case.  An attorney will conduct a thorough investigation of the accident, which can include obtaining the police reports, medical information, seeking out witnesses, and even hiring professional expert witnesses to reconstruct the crash.

Deadlines & Statute of Limitations

Seeking legal counsel following a car accident will allow you and your attorney to quickly

establish your claim and work to achieve compensation quickly and efficiently.  A car accident injury lawyer understands the deadlines necessary to obtain a successful resolution of your claim. For example, in order to qualify for personal-injury-protection benefits, an injured party must obtain medical treatment within the first 14 days of their auto accident. Once an injured party completes their medical treatment; typically, an insurance carrier is entitled to no more than 30 days to review a settlement demand package and convey a fair and reasonable settlement offer to the injured party. If the insurance carrier blows the deadline, they may be liable for bad faith giving rise to additional damages. Finally, the statute of limitation in Florida to pursue a negligence claim is two years. A lawsuit must be initiated prior to that time otherwise the injured party is left without recourse.

Working with Companies

Insurance companies will avoid having to shell out compensation whenever they are able to, but with an experienced car accident lawyer with similar cases on their resume, there is a much higher chance of reaching a beneficial settlement on your behalf. All car accident lawyers know that many insurance companies rely on computer programs to “spit out” a settlement number to determine the value of car accident victim’s case. Experienced car accident lawyers know specifically what metrics will trigger the insurance company to pay the injured party the most money. Some of the important metrics include property damage repair estimates, documentation evidencing emergency medical treatment, the total cost of medical bills, CPT diagnostic codes found in the medical records/bills, and final narrative reports including permanent impairment ratings pursuant to the AMA Guidelines. Your auto accident lawyer must obtain the proper documentation and submit it to the insurance company in the proper form in order to put your case in the best possible light.

Fighting Insurance Companies Over Your Car Accident

Insurance adjusters, and their computer programs, frequently undervalue claims. Sometimes good faith negotiations are simply doomed to fail because your case does not “fit” into the insurance company’s insurance program. An experienced injury attorney knows how to march up the chain of command to obtain the best results possible. If that fails, lawyers have the power to file a lawsuit and force the insurance companies to bring the fight into the courthouse. The threat of lawsuit frequently causes the insurance companies to change their tune and offer more money.

Our Lawyers Advocating for You

People underestimate the claims process, which is why so many ask the question if the need for legal counsel or representation is actually necessary in personal injury or car accident cases.  For those who are not accustomed to it, the claims process is tedious, time-consuming, emotionally and physically draining, and of course, frustrating.  This process is a job of its own, and hiring an attorney to advocate on your behalf while doing the legwork is absolutely worth it.  Car accident lawyers undergo the claims process for a living and understand the inner workings of the court.

Contact Us today for a consultation on your case.

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