The automobile is one of the greatest inventions in human history. But it also has a dark side, as anyone who’s been injured in an accident can attest. It’s not just the physical pain that may haunt you for years – it’s the financial pain too. After all, serious injuries often result in medical bills so high they’re difficult to pay off even with health insurance coverage.
And if you were uninsured or underinsured at the time of your accident, then those bills could be crushingly unaffordable by themselves. Fortunately, there are ways out of this dilemma – and one option is hiring a lawyer experienced with auto accidents to help get compensation from other drivers responsible for your injury. Let’s take a look at how a lawyer can help you get compensation after a crash.
The first thing a lawyer can do for you after a car accident is to help with your claim. In most cases, the insurance company of the person responsible for your injuries makes an initial lowball offer as soon as possible. If you accept this, you may not receive the compensation you deserve – and once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.
This is where a lawyer comes in and they’re available everywhere if you know where to look. Pigeon Forge car accident attorneys can gather evidence of your damages, like medical bills and lost wages, to show how much you deserve in compensation for your injuries. They may call on witnesses too – even ones that weren’t involved with the accident – to testify about their opinion on how badly you were hurt.
Another important function a lawyer can perform is to make sure the insurer of your injury gets all the evidence they need to determine who was at fault in your accident. They’ll typically gather eyewitness testimony, photographs, and police report to show what happened – but if there’s conflicting evidence (or none that decisively shows liability), then they may investigate the accident further to find proof.
They may hire an accident reconstruction expert to determine what the conditions were like at the time of the crash. They might also scrutinize surveillance footage or talk to witnesses who weren’t called during the initial investigation by police officers that took place directly after your accident. And if you’re able to identify other drivers that were involved, then they’d interview them as well.
In the end, if their investigation shows that there’s enough evidence to support your claim of negligence on the part of another driver, then they’d use it as leverage to convince the insurer to make a reasonable settlement offer.
Hiring the best car accident lawyer can greatly increase your chances of getting the compensation you deserve. Even if you were partially at fault for the accident, a good lawyer can help negotiate a settlement that considers your level of fault and still get you some sort of compensation.
If you don’t have health insurance, then another issue you may run into after a car accident is dealing with medical providers who demand payment upfront. After all, these companies don’t work for free – and they’re entitled to get reimbursed for any settlement money you receive from the person responsible for your injuries. Because of this, it’s important to hire an attorney that’d negotiate with your medical providers too to lower the cost of treatment.
They’d also make sure you don’t get cheated out of compensation by insurance companies, other drivers involved in the accident, or hospitals/doctors demanding payment who are trying to take advantage of your inexperience with the legal system.
If you’re unable to reach a reasonable settlement agreement with the insurer of the other driver (or if they don’t offer any compensation at all), then your lawyer would negotiate with them directly. If that isn’t successful, then they may have to take legal action – which could mean filing a lawsuit or taking steps to appeal an unfavorable decision by an insurance company.
They might also negotiate directly with the person responsible for your injuries to determine how much compensation they’d be willing to offer. This part of the process could take a long time since most people aren’t eager to admit fault – but it’s important for you to have all the information about what’s being offered so that you can make an informed decision about whether or not it’s fair.
If negotiations fail and your offer for compensation is still too low, then you and your lawyer may have to take legal action. They’d file a lawsuit against the responsible party with the help of their attorney – and they’d use all of the proof they’ve gathered as evidence to show that their negligence caused your injuries.
They might hire an expert witness to offer his or her opinion on the matter too – especially if their findings are crucial to proving that you have a case. If they have any other important evidence, then they’d present it too. And your lawyer will also make sure you understand all of the details about the lawsuit so that nothing is left out.
If you’ve been involved in a car accident and the other driver is responsible for your injuries, then you need to hire an attorney. We’ve discussed how they can be of help to you. You stand a better chance when they’re in charge of the situation.