Why It’s Important to Talk to a Lawyer After an Accident
By: Chalik Law
Tags: Lawyers, Accident

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over two million people sustain injuries from vehicle injuries every year. If you are one of the two million victims, your first step should be to call the police and contact a personal injury attorney.

Insurance companies are rich, with the industry having assets worth trillions of dollars. In fact, they will do anything to avoid paying fair settlements to victims to make profits. You have a higher chance of getting the full settlement from the insurance company when you hire an attorney immediately after the accident. That is just one of the many advantages of working with a skilled car accident lawyer.

Meet Legal Deadlines

After an auto accident, there are several deadlines to meet. The main deadline is the state’s statute of limitations, which is typically two years for personal injury cases. However, it is important to note that this limit varies between states. Statute of limitations refers to the set time within which you should file a personal injury case in a trial court.

Furthermore, this deadline is subject to exceptions, and unless you know the law really well, the insurance company can use these exceptions to deny you a settlement. Make sure to consult your lawyer for an exact deadline.

Besides filing the case, some insurance policies require that you notify your insurer as soon as the accident occurs or immediately after. You will find such deadlines in inexpensive auto insurance policies.

If the accident involves a government entity, you have to send an “ante litem” notice (notice to the defendant that you intend to sue) before you can file a case. In most cases, the deadline is between six months and a year.

If you were severely injured, you may not have the physical ability to file the case or notice, and thus, you may not access compensation. Lawyers know which deadlines to meet, and they will help as you recover from the accident.

Preserve Evidence

It is easier to collect evidence immediately after the accident. For instance, surveillance footage from a business near the crash site may only be available for a few days or weeks. Your lawyer can obtain the video footage before the business deletes it, but you have to act fast.

You also need roadway evidence to prove who was at fault. The evidence includes car accident debris, skid marks, and wheel gauges. These marks can show what or who caused the accident. This evidence helps prove the driver who was on the wrong and can only be collected from the scene of the accident.

If the evidence is not recorded a day or a few days after the accident, weather and traffic can destroy it. You will need an accident reconstruction professional to recreate the scenario that led to the accident.

Accident reconstruction experts use vehicle 3D scans to recreate accident scenarios. Photos of the vehicles before repairs or crushing can also help determine who was at fault. If you wait for a few weeks, the at-fault driver could repair their car, and it will be more difficult for you to prove your case.

Get Immediate Medical Treatment

Do you have health insurance? If you do, it might be easy to get the medical attention you need after an accident. However, without medical insurance, the local emergency clinic may not offer the care you need. In that case, a personal injury lawyer serving in Fort Lauderdale will point you towards the best course of action.

Preserve Witness Accounts

It is easy to get witnesses who are willing to give an account of what happened immediately after an accident. However, a few days following the accident, some witnesses’ memories fade while others lose interest in testifying. An attorney can write a statement that preserves the memory of the witness.

Beat Insurance Company Tricks

Insurance companies are willing to resort to tricks to avoid paying high settlements to injured people. Remember that agents represent the agency’s interest and not that of the client. Some of the tricks they commonly employ include:

Delaying the settlement

Denying you a settlement after your health insurance or workers’ compensation policy covers the medical bills

Under-counting medical bills

Claiming that the car accident did not cause the injuries you have sustained (the causation defense)

Collect evidence to show that you are partly or fully at fault

Pressure you to talk to them before contacting an accident attorney

Request that you give a recorded account of the scenario that led to the accident

Pretend to be concerned about your health just to pay a cheap settlement

Dispute severity of the injuries from the accident

Claim your car insurance coverage is less than you have

Deny your claim settlement outright

Insurance companies make profits by denying people’s claims or reducing the value of the settlement. For instance, when they delay your settlement, they are hoping you will grow impatient and accept a lower amount than you deserve.

As the bills mount pressure on you, they will try convincing you to settle for a low amount. Again, the delays might see you lose the chance to file a case as the statute of limitations deadline catches up with you.

As you wait, an insurance agent may keep asking for medical documents for review, and they may even send you money to pay for the car repair. All the while, they will show you how willing they are to close your case to make you avoid hiring a lawyer.

Lawyers know the tricks used by these companies. If the insurance company agent tries talking you out of contacting an attorney, that should be reason enough to get one. They will know when the insurance company is spying on you and stop their tricks.

The Bottom Line

Most injury attorneys will not charge you for initial consultations. It is common practice to work on a contingency fee basis. This means that they only get paid after winning a case. The immense experience and the ability to see the insurance company’s tricks make attorneys a valuable asset in dealing with the aftermath of a traffic accident.