Four Signs You Should Hire A Lawyer Following A Car Accident

20 December 2017
 Categories: Law, Blog

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Some car accident proceedings are simple. Your insurance company writes you a check to fix the damage, you have your car repaired, and everyone moves on. Unfortunately, a lot of car accident claims are far more complicated than this. You may find that you have to hire a law firm to help you navigate this process and receive the funds to which you are entitled. Here are four signs that you should hire an attorney following your accident.

You are badly injured.

If you just scrape your leg up a little bit, that's one thing. But if you have substantial injuries that have left you in the hospital, caused you to miss work, or required surgery to address, the situation can get complicated quickly. Insurance companies will often offer settlements that don't quite cover your expenses. You'll want a lawyer on your side so that you can sue the insurance company for funds to cover the rest of your expenses.

The other driver is blaming you.

If you were obviously at-fault for the accident because you were drunk or texting while driving, that's one thing. But if you are confident that the other driver caused the accident, and yet they are blaming you, then you had better hire an attorney. They can use evidence from the accident scene and also witness statements to prove the other driver's responsibility, possibly saving you thousands of dollars in increased insurance premiums over the years.

Someone other than you or the other driver caused the accident.

Sometimes, there might be a third party involved in an accident. Maybe the city failed to maintain the streets properly, and that contributed to your crash. Perhaps someone jumped out in front of your car, causing you to slam on your brakes and cause a collision. In order to collect funds from someone who was not directly involved in the collision, you will need an attorney to argue your case.

Your car insurance company is not working with you.

Even in a simple accident, you should contact a lawyer if you do not feel like you are getting a straight answer from your insurance company. All your attorney may have to do is call the company and say they represent you. The insurance company will take a call from an attorney more seriously and may move a bit quicker when they receive this call. If things do escalate and they deny your claim, you will at least have a lawyer retained to help you immediately.