Want to know something that’ll make you buckle your seatbelt? Two million drivers are wounded in car accidents annually — 32,000 accidents are fatal. If you haven’t been in an accident before, it’s more likely that you will eventually.
Don’t let that scare you. Most car accidents purely cause cosmetic damage to vehicles. What you should be afraid of is getting sued, or if you need to take litigious action yourself.
These are the 5 signs that you need a lawyer to discuss tricky car accident laws.
1. If You’ve Sustained Life-Changing Injury
You probably taking walking, sleeping properly, and an ache-free back for granted. But injuries in car accidents can amount to changes in your life that are crippling. With tons of metal colliding, the force exerted on your body is enormous.
Injuries in an accident can be immediately obvious. But some of them can creep around and affect your livelihood long past the accident itself. This is typical in spinal injuries.
Consult with a car accident lawyer immediately after you’ve begun to feel pain anywhere. They’ll help correlate it with the car crash.
2. Who’s at Fault – Different Car Accident Laws
There’s a lot of jargon involved in law. It’s used a lot to dissuade the average person from pursuing law themselves.
A lot of states have a ‘no-fault’ clause in their laws. This means no matter who caused the accident, they are not legally liable — to an extent. If the damage to the car or injuries reach a threshold, they’ll be found financially responsible.
Consult a lawyer to determine if the damage reaches this minimum.
3. Collecting Proof
Winning a case by yourself is an insurmountable endeavor. You’re not trained for this.
To win a lawsuit, you’ll need evidence stacked against your opponent. It might not be clear to you what evidence would be usable in a court case. This judgment is better left to a professional.
4. Troubling Insurance Companies
Insurance companies hedge their money against you – a driver. Driving is a very risky thing to do, even on an occasional basis.
The firm that has insured you knows this very well. And they’ll do anything they can in their power to avoid paying out your claim.
This happens far too often, especially due to fine print that’s unreadable to an untrained reader. To avoid getting swindled by your own insurance provider, please consult with a lawyer.
5. Low-Ball Offer
Sometimes you’ll be offered a settlement. These are used to sweep under the case and get you out of the defendant’s hair.
A lot of the time, you should take a settlement (it’s the less risky maneuver). However, you shouldn’t accept this offer if it’s too low.
Assess your personal losses and make sure that the settlement will fully reimburse you. If not, you’ll need a fighter in your corner.
Case Closed!
Car accidents are so frequent that they’re almost unavoidable in your lifetime. And, unfortunately, car accident laws are not something most laymen can follow.
You need a lawyer if you’ve been injured, need help gathering evidence, are having trouble with your insurance provider, or are offered a settlement you shouldn’t accept.
Thinking about pursuing a lawsuit and need some more guidance? Check out our other articles on law and order.
