When Should You Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?
Being injured in an auto accident can be very traumatizing. In addition to the pain of your physical injuries, worries about medical costs, loss of income, and the possibility of permanent impairment can be daunting. Many people feel they can file the insurance claim on their own. It is only weeks or months later that they realize they need the services of a professional personal injury attorney.
Trying to handle your own auto insurance claim is the worst thing you can do. Many accident victims choose to settle too early with the responsible party’s insurer, not wishing to bother with the complexities of a claim or perhaps not trusting a lawyer to handle their case.
Many injuries can worsen over time or develop complications that were not apparent in the immediate weeks or months following the accident. Once you accept a check from the insurance company or sign a release, your case is over. You cannot go back for more money later. By settling before the severity and extent of an injury is fully known, injury victims can throw away thousands of dollars in compensation.
In other cases, unwary or naive victims give recorded statements shortly after the incident without legal representation, unwittingly casting doubt on liability or on the severity of their injuries. Other cases may involve municipalities or the state as parties, in which case failure to give notice or follow shortened timelines for filing claims could prove fatal.
To avoid making mistakes that could seriously impair the value of your case or even doom it, you should hire an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible, and before you speak to an insurance adjuster or anyone else about your accident.
A personal injury attorney will handle all aspects of your case. If liability is questioned, a thorough investigation by your lawyer could establish which parties are liable. Your lawyer can also obtain all necessary documentation including relevant medical reports, medical bills, lost wage information, etc, so you have the best chance of obtaining full value for your injury claim.