When people think of threats to their lives, they think of sharks and natural disasters. But one of the most prolific killers of our time is one that we deal with on a daily basis: cars. Over 1.3 million people lose their lives across the world to vehicles each year.
Accidents can happen from distracted driving to road rage. But no matter the cause, a serious injury can leave you disabled and debilitated without recourse. After all, what can you do if your insurance or that of the other driver doesn’t cover it?
Your best bet is with hiring a lawyer and possibly taking things to court. Follow along with us for 13 reasons you need to get your personal injury attorney on the line after a serious accident.
1. You Can Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer on a Contingency Basis
The first issue most people have with hiring an attorney is the cost. Lawyers are highly skilled professionals with a long history of experience. Naturally, they charge a high price for their services.
Most lawyers require about $100 per hour. They charge you whenever they’re on the clock, whether consulting with you or reading over legal documents. Over the course of a few weeks, they can easily rack up several thousand dollars.
The biggest fear people have is that their case will fall flat and they will be on the hook for all legal fees. But luckily for you, most lawyers work on a contingency basis. This means they will only charge you for their services if they win your case.
This benefits you and the lawyer. They have an excellent incentive to win your case, and you lose nothing if the judge throws it out. If you win the case, the payout will often be more than enough to cover legal fees.
2. A Serious Injury May Require Proving a Specific Part of the Case
Courts can be picky with how they handle cases. In certain situations, one tiny piece of evidence is enough for the plaintiff to win. In others, you may need a large body of evidence of many different kinds.
A personal injury lawyer has extensive experience with doing just this. They know what evidence works best in your situation and how to find it. They can help you to avoid pursuing fruitless avenues that are unlikely to produce a favorable result.
This means you won’t waste legal fees on evidence that will do nothing for your case. Visit alphaaccidentlawyers.com to find skilled lawyers that will do just that.
3. Investigate and Gather Evidence for You
Lawyers are part-time investigators, in a sense. It’s their job to gather the evidence you need to strengthen your case. They know who to talk to, and what documents will suffice.
Let a lawyer gather all that is necessary for your case to have the greatest chance of success. Otherwise, you may have to do it yourself, all while suffering a serious injury.
4. Secure Witness Testimonies
Assigning guilt is the most difficult part of any court case. Without clear evidence from dash cams or police officers, it’s up to witnesses to prove fault. Those people who watch the crash and stopped by can come to your aid in court.
A lawyer can speak with these witnesses and secure testimony that will hold up in court.
5. Work around Anything That Weakens Your Case
There’s no shame in admitting that you may have some degree of fault in an accident. Further, you shouldn’t feel any compunction for trying to defend yourself. Even if you are 99% in the right, that 1% could be enough to throw off your case.
Lawyers know how to minimize the things that won’t help you. Instead, they can emphasize the strong points of your case.
6. Securing Medical Evidence
A key factor in getting compensation after a serious injury accident is proving your injury originates from the accident. This usually means visiting a doctor and getting an official diagnosis within the right timeframe.
Your lawyer can help to make sure the doctor includes all the most important details that the court will require.
7. Accept Alternative Offers
In some cases, your case will be very hard to win. The best solution for you may be to settle out of court through arbitration or mediation. This allows you to get some money rather than nothing at all.
This is a hard decision to make since it throws your case out for good. But your lawyer will know when it is necessary for your overall benefit.
8. Deciding Whether to Proceed
Lawyers make so much money because the law is an insanely difficult discipline to study. Every county, city, and even state has its own laws and jurisdiction. What is legal in one city may be entirely illegal in another.
Your local lawyer knows all the local laws backward and forward. This is vital information to appeal to certain laws, or avoid breaking others. At any point, you can ask your lawyer for clarification on legal matters that pertain to your case.
Cases can sometimes drag out for months or years. Every legal professional knows that at some point, you may have to give up. Continuing will only prove to be your detriment in terms of finances and wasted time.
A good lawyer knows when it’s time to give up the fight for your benefit.
9. Keep Your Finances in Check after a Payout or Settlement
The battle is far from won even after you win the case. Creditors may hound you with liens and try to bog you down with modifications and reductions.
Lawyers can help to reduce these fees and indemnity requirements to protect your post-case finances.
10. Help You Keep a Level Head
Emotionality has no place in a courtroom. Successful cases come to those who keep their emotions in check and avoid rash decisions. A case is personal for you, making it hard to remain dispassionate during such a trying time.
Instead, let a lawyer be your objective voice. They strip your case of any unneeded emotion so that the judge gives you the most favorable outcome.
11. Help You Deal with Insurance Companies
Aside from payouts, the next biggest concern that people have is reducing the premiums for insurance companies. Your insurance company may raise your premiums after an accident, even if it is not your fault. Your finances are already desperate, so this can put you in an even more desperate position.
Lawyers spend day and night duking things out with insurance companies. They know all the dirty tricks that these companies like to play, and how to ensure you get the money you are owed.
12. Obtain the Best Settlement for You
Lawyers know how to squeeze every last penny out of a settlement case. Sometimes these can be very small claims that they add on that give you a few extra dollars here or there. It might not be much, but every little bit helps at the end of a tiresome case.
In some situations, they may be able to spot the potential for a massive payout. For example, a civil suit as a result of negligence on a company’s part. Without a lawyer’s guidance, you would not know about these options.
13. Be an Emotional Support for You
The state may provide you with an attorney free of charge to fight your case. But the state-appointed attorneys are just doing their day job. They don’t have much incentive to fight to the last for your benefit.
On the other hand, independent lawyers have all the incentive to do the best job possible. They’re not showing up to run out the clock. Instead, they are working overtime when the state-appointed attorney has already gone to bed.
Cases can be trying times more than anything because you feel helpless. You may not have the full support of a spouse, your workplace, or even your friends. You are alone, fighting for your rights without encouragement and motivation from others.
Think of a lawyer as your best friend during a case. They want to win it as badly as you do because their job is on the line. So in a sense, you are in the thick of it together.
Lawyers deal with tragic cases on a daily basis. They know how to console people and give them hope.
Find the Right Lawyer Today
A serious injury after an accident can put you out of work and make everyday life that much harder. Hiring a lawyer provides you with a wide range of benefits for your case. Without one, it’s far less likely that you will get the compensation you deserve.
Follow our blog for more useful legal tips.
