Approximately 6 million car accidents occur in the United States every year. Around 2 million drivers experience permanent injuries every year.
This means that if you’ve never been in a car accident, you will most likely be in one sometime in your lifetime. You will also most certainly sustain some sort of trauma.
Enter car accident lawyers. Read on to learn more about when you need a car accident lawyer.
What is a Car Accident Lawyer
A car accident lawyer is also known as a personal injury lawyer.
This attorney helps you receive the proper settlement when you’re injured in a car accident. Certainly, your car will sustain damage in an accident.
But more likely than not, you will also sustain damage in one way or another. A good car accident lawyer will help you figure out how much you need to help compensate for the emotional and physical trauma that typically follows a car accident.
Car accident lawyers have experience. You, as a victim, most likely (and hopefully) do not have experience as a professional car accident victim.
If you’re involved in a car accident, you will need someone who understands the laws that exist to protect you so you can recover from the accident thoroughly.
When to Find a Car Accident Lawyer
If you’re involved in a car accident that is not your fault, you should find a reliable car accident lawyer immediately.
Picture this: insurance companies have a team of lawyers to deal with claims, and these attorneys have their client’s interest in mind, not yours.
This team of attorneys is ready to process a claim as quickly as possible because they process so many claims.
Sometimes an accident will be ruled a no-fault accident. Even if your accident looks like such a case, contact an attorney.
Why You May Need a Car Accident Lawyer
When you’re in a car accident, you’re often sustaining more trauma than you realize. Because of the urgent nature of an accident, you need a car accident lawyer.
Hidden Injuries
Adrenaline is your friend when you’re in an accident. Unfortunately, you may be hurt and not know it when you’re first in a car accident.
If you retain a car accident attorney, you will have someone ready to help you when the injuries become apparent.
Always seek medical attention when you’ve been in a car accident. Sleeping injuries may not show up for 24 hours, and by then, you’ve filed an accident report. If you report an injury too late, you will look suspicious.
You’re Not an Attorney
Unless you have a law degree, you’re not an attorney. Lawyers have gone to school for years and have studied the law for a reason.
They know their stuff. You don’t. Googling “how to represent myself in a personal injury lawsuit” does not qualify you to represent yourself.
Car accident lawyers know the procedures and the law. They defend people for a living and can do so efficiently and thoroughly. They will do the job both quickly and correctly.
For example, did you know both Illinois and Missouri are “fault” states when it comes to auto accidents? This means the person causing the accident is responsible for paying for the injuries of those harmed in the accident.
The ones harmed in the accident can also file a personal injury lawsuit in civil court against the drive.
This legalese may sound confusing as legal jargon can. And this is one more reason why you may need a lawyer.
Attorneys understand laws like statutes of limitations. They know how to file the lawsuit and what papers to file.
They Work, You Heal
The attorney will do the legwork so you can just recover and not think about what papers to file next. You will need to work on healing, on rehabbing or going to a therapist if you’re suffering from the emotional trauma of an accident.
You will not have the time or the energy to deal with paperwork, and in the process of dealing with it, you may make a mistake that a lawyer would catch.
A car accident lawyer will gather the evidence necessary from witness statements to insurance claims to police reports. They look at everything including some of the documents you may miss.
They advocate FOR you. If you win, they win. A good attorney wants what’s best for you.
Pain and Suffering Settlement Examples
Many people have won their pain and suffering suits with appropriate settlements.
The Gloria Estefan settlement is among the most famous. Gloria Estefan, a famous pop singer in the 1980s and 90s, broke her back when her tour bus was rear-ended. Because of the accident and injury, she had to cancel a world tour and spent the next year rehabbing and learning to walk.
The truck company for the tractor-trailer that rear-ended Estefan settled out of court for $8.5 million. There were seven defendants
The Miramon v. Bradley settlement stems from two different car accidents and subsequent trauma.
Julie Miramon was involved in two different car accidents–one in 1988 and then another in 1990. Miramon claimed the second accident exacerbated conditions the first accident caused–in particular psychological distress and an eating disorder.
Miramon lost the case initially but then appealed and won.
Ultimately Miramon received $790 for medical expenses, minus $30 for one payment already made to Dr. Drude, for a total of $760.
The court also awarded Miramon $6,000 for the pain and suffering from minor physical injury and for the aggravation of her symptoms.
Where to Find a Car Accident Lawyer
Because of the potentially lucrative nature of the lawsuits, car accident lawyers appear to be everywhere.
When you’re involved in an accident and need a car accident lawyer, begin by considering your location.
Local attorneys will know your state’s laws, such as whether it is a fault state or no-fault state. They will understand your rights within the limitations of your state’s particular traffic accident laws.
You can begin your search by looking for a basic directory. Then look for specific reviews for the attorneys–client reviews in particular.
Check out the attorneys’ websites, and look for news of those attorneys’ settlements. Their success reveals their work.
Beware Settlement Mills
When you’re nursing your injuries and feel inspired to hire a lawyer whose commercials appear insurance companies appear late at night, beware.
Late-night settlement attorney commercials often come from settlement mills.
Settlement mills are the law offices that spend an inordinate amount of money on advertising to bring people in and then deal with their settlement quickly without caring well for their clients.
Insurance companies typically love settlement mills because the mills’ objective is to close the case and move on to the next one–regardless of justice.
The settlement mills depend on their aggressive ad campaigns to bring in sufficient revenue. They do not rely on their excellent legal skills, just on the number of clients they can run through the mill.
These mills are characterized by minimal interaction between the attorneys and clients.
Find Good Service in Southern Missouri
If you need a car accident lawyer, contact us for all of your personal injury claims. We can help you process the necessary paperwork and ensure you receive a fair claim in an efficient amount of time.
