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Personal Injury Law – Car Accidents

Since there are a great number of car accidents every year, the services of a car accident attorney are necessary for many drivers.

Accidents are inevitable; this is because apart from watching out for yourself while driving, you also have to always watch out for other drivers on the road. Even though you may take maximum precautions to avoid accidents, you may still be involved in one due to circumstances beyond your control.

It’s for this reason that if you’ve been the victim of an auto accident, it’s often advisable to engage the services of a qualified lawyer. Preferably, you want an auto accident attorney who is very conversant with the laws since these specifically apply to car accidents. More on this website

Unfortunately, if you are involved in a car accident, there are some things that you ought to do before engaging the services of a car accident lawyer.

Steps To Take When In An Auto Accident:

First and foremost, do not leave the scene of a car accident, particularly if your car is among those involved in the accident, regardless of the extent of the damage.

If you leave the scene after the accident, you could be charged regarding the accident even if you may not be the cause of the accident or the driver at fault.

What you are expected to do is to stop immediately when involved in a car accident and give any possible assistance to those injured.

In addition, it’s also important to warn oncoming traffic if necessary so as to avoid the occurrence of multiple accidents. When all these safety issues are under control, it is your duty to obtain details of the other driver involved in the car accident with you.

You also want to get the names and telephone numbers of any witnesses to the accident. These details may be vital in helping the car accident attorney in verifying any statements that you or the other driver involved in the car accident may make.

If at all possible, get the witnesses to put down on paper the sequence of events, and how the accident happened from their perspective. This statement should then be signed for it to be viable evidence.

Of course, you need to make your own personal notes regarding the auto accident. This is important because it may act as a reminder of the pertinent details when you speak to your insurance agent or, if worse comes to worst, get in touch with a car accident attorney.

A sketch of the cars involved in the accident is a brilliant idea. It’s a great idea to keep a disposable camera in the car to take photos (if you don’t have a cell phone that takes pictures). Take photographs of the skid marks, too.

Sometimes, these ideas don’t come to mind at the time of the accident due to the shock, so it’s a good practice to keep a list of “things to do in times of accident” in your glove box or somewhere else convenient in your vehicle. You’ll be able to refer to the list and be sure you have done everything you need.

All of these details are important if the time ever comes that you find yourself suing for damages. Choose a competent car accident attorney and you’ll get the compensation you deserve.

Dealing with Aggressive Insurance Adjusters

As we mentioned above, insurance adjusters involved with motorcycle accident claims are under a vast amount of pressure from their insurance company to deny a claim, because a massive amount of money is potentially on the line should that claim be awarded to the victim. So the adjuster won’t care how badly the victim is hurt. Compassion is not necessarily one of an adjuster’s strong points. The only thing he or she cares about is denying the claim and saving the insurance company’s bottom line. That adjuster might even be more motivated to do so because often in cases like these, insurance companies will offer an adjuster a significant bonus or raise if he or she is successful. No matter what the motivation, that adjuster’s interests will be diametrically opposed to yours or that of your family. They will, as a result, often use some formidable tactics in their pursuit of victory.

For example, an adjuster will try and shift blame away from the defendant he or she represents and onto another party such as the victim. If the majority of the fault can be placed on the victim, the case will be dismissed. If that blame can be shifted to other parties then the insurance company won’t have to pay as much in restitution. It follows logically, then, that insurance adjusters will act in an extremely aggressive manner in order to shift blame from their clients. Adjusters commonly badger motorcycle accident injury victims with a barrage of questions designed to trick the victim into saying something that will make it seem like he or she was to blame for the accident. The conversation will be recorded and later dissected so that whatever missteps the victim may make will be used against him or her during a trial. They may, for example, try and trip up the victim regarding his or her recollection of the accident and later use that to dispute the validity of the victim’s memory regarding the accident. And to make matters worse, the defense attorneys will conduct a detailed investigation of the accident, and the adjuster can use that evidence to further damage the victim’s case. If you do not act quickly in procuring legal representation that can conduct an investigation on your behalf, you are playing with a deck that is severely stacked against you. If you cannot produce evidence that can offset and defeat that of the defense, you stand basically no chance of winning.

Adjusters use another tactic that is just as aggressive, and much more insidious. In order to try and save the insurance company some money, adjusters often make injury victims or the grieving family members of a deceased motorcyclist a settlement offer designed to bring quick cash. The majority of the time, however, this settlement offer comes with forms that the victim or victim’s family must sign in order to get the money. This is a shrewd, calculated, and cost-effective move because it will be a low-ball offer. It will be very tempting to take to most victims, but it won’t come close to being fair. If you accept this offer, however, you forfeit the right to sue the defendant at a later date in an attempt to get more money. You are basically signing away your rights. But it happens all too often; when insurance adjusters get to a victim before that victim has consulted with an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer, that adjuster has a great chance of shortchanging the victim and protecting the insurance carrier’s profit margin. If the insurance company cannot get the case dismissed entirely, this is often their second-best option. More on this website

In most instances, it takes an experienced lawyer to make sure that accident victims recover the full and fair worth of their medical bills, pain, suffering, and damages to their vehicle and its contents. Depending on circumstances surrounding the accident and coverage level, a reasonably intelligent accident victim can handle his or her claim on their own, without the assistance of a lawyer. Aside from the general challenges presented by defendant insurers, below are a few instances that illustrate how your interests are best served with the assistance of a local, experienced car accident attorney.

You’ve Suffered Bodily Harm in the Wreck – If you’re really injured from your auto accident, you really must have an experienced lawyer handle your claim. If you need a return visit to your doctor after being treated for your injuries, call a lawyer. When you seek damages for bodily injuries, insurance companies don’t have to abide by any preexisting guidelines when deciding how much to pay you. Because, by their very nature, insurance companies are more about premiums than claims, they can choose to pay you nothing and hope they get away with it. This practice is the first benefit of having a lawyer who is looking out for your interests regarding your claim. If you’ve suffered broken bones, head injuries, back injuries, or any other sort of injury in your wreck, do the smart thing and call a reputable attorney quickly.

The Other Driver is Hard to Deal With – It’s also a good idea to call an attorney if the other driver involved in your accident gives you a hard time either at the scene of the wreck or later. If that other driver doesn’t want to provide you with his contact or insurance information, definitely call a lawyer. Belligerent accident “victims” usually have something to hide, either from the law or their insurance company. Their behavior could be an early warning that he’ll make it as difficult as possible for you to recover what you deserve. Treat this arrogant behavior as a big red flag that you need to seriously consider hiring a lawyer, or at least have a solemn visit with an experienced one.

You Can’t Afford to See a Doctor or Pay your Medical Bills – Many people don’t have health insurance, which could help them afford the treatment they need after they’ve been involved in a wreck. Even if an accident victim does have health insurance, the odds become less every day that their treatment needs will be covered under their health benefits. Whether or not they have health insurance, many accident victims are reluctant to get treatment for their injuries because they don’t think they can afford to take off of work to see a doctor. Perhaps they have higher-than-normal deductibles, which preclude even using their health insurance.

Seeing a doctor and being treated adequately for your injuries after an accident is not only essential to your returning health, it’s necessary to your injury claim or lawsuit. If you can’t afford treatment, or if you already have medical bills that you can’t pay, there’s probably something that our personal injury lawyers can do to help. We regularly work with doctors and healthcare professionals and can hook you up with the right doctor who will consider your situation. We have helped many of our clients receive necessary medical care after an auto accident at no out of pocket cost to them. Additionally, we can explain how the time you take off from work to get medical care may be computed in the damage compensation owed to you by the defendant in your case.

Besides, if you aren’t diligent in being treated for your injuries, why should the defendant be concerned with something that doesn’t appear to concern you?

If you’re lucky, and none of the above scenarios apply, the odds are pretty good that you can handle your case on your own, without the assistance of a lawyer, and reasonably resolve it. Sometimes, plaintiffs can successfully protect their rights when they’ve been involved in a wreck, which resulted in property damage only. If your car was damaged, but you’re not injured, insurance companies are bound by strict guidelines that tell them what they have to pay you in compensation for the damage to your car. Since these guidelines give them virtually no wiggle room, insurance companies have minimal opportunity to rip you off when they reimburse you for your repair bills or property damage. But if there are serious injuries, no guidelines exist. And that’s when you need legal help in defending your compensatory rights.

The auto accident lawyers at our Texas Law Firm have effectively handled car accident litigation for over 30 years. We’ve won favorable verdicts and settlements against nearly every major auto insurer in the state. Insurance companies recognize our name. And the reputation that precedes us is beneficial in securing special attention to our clients’ claims from these insurers. Our goal is to make sure that you recover as much as possible for your injuries and make this sometimes complicated legal process as easy as possible for you.

Put our years of experience to work for you. Know your rights, how to proceed with your claim, and how much compensation you can secure from your auto injury case. Call our Law Firm now at 1(800) 862-1260 (toll-free) for a free consultation and find out how we can help you recover the full fair value of the damages you have suffered through the negligence of another driver.