If you've recently been involved in an accident, you may be wondering whether or not you should hire a lawyer. Sure, you may be at the very beginning of the process but at what point should you get a professional involved? Well, there are several questions that you can ask yourself when determining if you need to hire a Los Angeles accident attorney. Check out the list below.
1. Are my injuries serious?
If you want to know if you should hire an attorney then you need to consider the severity of your injuries. Not every car accident results in serious injuries. In fact, you may not be hurt at all. If your injuries were minor and you're prepared to take care of all the insurance claims and legal work, then it's possible that you could handle the matter on your own. Just keep in mind that you may want to seek counsel to ensure that you're taking all of the proper steps.However, if you're someone who's suffered serious injuries that have caused severe pain and have resulted in your being treated medically, then it's important that you hire a car accident personal injury lawyer. This is especially the case if you need things like physical therapy, surgery, rehab, orthopedics, or chiropractic work.
Why is this? Well, these kinds of injuries typically result in a lot of medical bills. And you shouldn't have to cover these particular expenses on your own. In fact, you may not even have enough to cover all of these costs. So that's why you need to work with professionals. They can ensure that you have the opportunity to recover without having to worry about the debt that you may be incurring. And this helps to make recovery faster and a lot less stressful.
2. Are there several parties involved?
If you're wondering when you should hire an attorney, then you should could consider the number of parties involved. Believe it or not, car accidents aren't always simple. It's not always easy to figure out who was responsible for the collision or who was negligent--especially if there were more than two cars involved. If you've been in an accident that involves several parties then you're definitely going to need the help of a car accident personal injury lawyer.You see, the more parties that are involved, the more difficult it becomes to sort things out with the insurance companies. In this instance, there may have been several people injured. And this means there won't be as much money to split among you. You may also learn that you're considered to be liable in the claims of some of the other parties which can have a huge impact on the type of compensation you receive. When you work with a professional, you can ensure that they will help you to figure out who was truly liable for the collision.
3. Am I being contact by an insurance company representative?
If you're not sure about hiring an attorney then you need to consider who is trying to get in touch with you. Adjusters are hired by insurance companies so that they can help to reduce their costs. The only way to do this is to make sure that they pay out the least amount possible for insurance claims. So these adjusters will often call you and ask for a statement, access to your medical records, as well as other personal information. These calls are usually recorded.No matter how kind and polite an adjuster may seem their ultimate goal is to get you to say something that will do damage to your case and reduce the amount of compensation that you may be entitled to. This can happen even if you're dealing with your own insurance company and your case involves an uninsured motorist.
You can avoid these tactics altogether by hiring legal representation. When the adjuster calls you'll be able to refer them to your lawyer. Remember, when you're contacted by the insurance company it means that they feel that you have a valid claim. Allow your lawyer to coach you on what information you should and should not give out.
4. Is the compensation too low or non-existent?
One of the biggest clues that it's time to hire a lawyer is that the compensation that they're offering is very low. Or they may be refusing to pay anything at all. Insurance companies will do anything that they can in order to get out of paying a claim. And this includes delaying the process, low-balling the offer, or completely denying the claim.Luckily, lawyers have a lot of experience in these situations. They've handled many cases and they know how tricky these companies can be. They also know how to get around these hurdles and challenges. In fact, your Los Angeles accident attorney may go so far as to hold the company legally and financially responsible for acting in bad faith. So this may turn around and work in your favor. At the very least, they'll be able to get you the compensation that you deserve.
5. Does the entire process seem intimidating or too much to handle?
If you're unsure about when you should hire an attorney then think about if you're ready to handle this process on your own. Does the idea seem a bit overwhelming? If so, then it's imperative that you hire a professional.Accident cases typically require that you have excellent unstanding of how the legal system works. Specifically, you need to know how to navigate the settlement process. If you want a fair settlement then you must have a keen sense of how to negotiate and combine this skill with knowledge of laws and statutes.
Certain injury cases can be more complicated than others. So you must be prepared for anything. Your accident may be a result of the other driver's negligence. However, it could also be a direct result of a defective car part or product. And in these instances, it's essential that you have expert witnesses on your team to prove this claim. This may require a total reconstruction of the accident, testimonies from your witnesses, and an expert testimony of someone who has a history in physics. Lawyers are trained to deal with these types of cases. And most have all of the tools and resources they need at their disposal.
