Were you recently injured in a car accident? There are an average of six million car accidents in the US every year. Approximately three million people are injured every year in these accidents.
If you were in this kind of accident, your family and friends might be encouraging you to hire a car accident lawyer. You can read more here to learn the top signs on when you should hire a car accident lawyer. These legal professionals can help you get the best outcome for your case.
Car Accident Legal Definition
The legal definition of a “car accident” is when motor vehicles collide or strike a stationary object, animal, pedestrian or another vehicle. This legal definition comes with consequences that outline out what every party in the accident is responsible for.
When drivers apply for their license, they must demonstrate what’s called a “legal duty.”
This legal duty means that the driver agrees to abide by all traffic laws and operate their vehicle responsibly around bicyclists, pedestrians or other drivers. Disputes arise when the driver and accident victim disagree on whether the driver was careless or intentionally tried to avoid fulfilling their legal duty.
What Is a Car Accident Lawyer?
A car accident lawyer represents an accident victim who believes their injury was the result of someone else’s careless behavior. A car accident lawyer is also sometimes called a personal injury lawyer who specializes in tort law.
A car accident lawyer can help guide victims through a negotiated settlement with an insurance company. They can also help victims through the legal system in case a settlement can’t be reached.
When Do You Call a Car Accident Lawyer?
There will be certain conditions in your case that dictate if you should call a car accident lawyer. Call a car accident lawyer if any of these circumstances apply to your experience.
Hospital Stay to Care for Critical Injuries
If critical injuries result from your car accident, you could be coping with high medical expenses to recover your good health. You might also be staring continuing lifetime care in the face as well. Price tags for this kind of medical treatment are very steep.
Your existing or future lifestyle might also be damaged if there are any continuing painful symptoms to your injuries. For example, you might lose your job which means diminished income for you. Your home or vehicle may need revamping to serve your new health condition.
These same factors apply if you are the one responsible for harming someone else. That other person may become incapacitated and can’t resume their own job. They may subsequently lose their own income as a result of the accident.
As a result, these other victims may also have their own high medical expenses and other ongoing fees to meet their new physical condition as well. Car accident lawyers can then help you set up payment schedules for these ongoing costs.
Multiple Persons Injured
Consult with a car accident lawyer if several people were injured in the same accident as you. This also applies if these accident victims came from the same family. Several personal statements and injuries lodged during an investigation can complicate your case even further.
A car accident attorney is trained to manage multiple claims and track any pending testimony to effectively protect your interests.
Contradictory Insurance, Police, or Medical Reports
Any form of contrary information in insurance, police or medical accident reports might bring about a denial of your case. A car accident attorney can investigate your case and present your evidence along with theirs. This evidence can be used to dispute what’s included in these other accident records.
Disagreement Over Who Is At Fault
Most US states have laws that are called “at-fault laws.” These laws mean that if an accident victim wants to recover their damages, they must be less than half responsible for the accident. If an investigation starts to reach this level of scrutiny, the case will most likely be referred to the courts and a judge will review your case.
If your case reaches this stage, then a car accident attorney can help present your case to the judge. Then your car accident lawyer will help you proceed through the remainder of the legal process until your case is closed.
Emotional Suffering or Lost Companionship
Car accident injuries can, sadly, cause serious physical as well as emotional trauma. This is particularly true for children in accidents that kill one of their family members. This type of trauma is called pain and suffering.
Pain and suffering have a legal definition that applies to both physical as well as emotional trauma triggered by an injury. Emotional trauma victims can claim payment for this level of suffering in many US States. A car accident attorney can help you determine if your case matches your state’s laws.
Injury Occurred on Unsafe Roads or Other Hazardous Public Areas
Accidents that happen as a result of dangerous road conditions may implicate other responsible parties within your case.
If your accident occurs in a public right of away or on another public street, you will be required to file what’s called an “administrative claim with a county or city government office.
People filing these claims will have approximately six months to file their claim from the date of their accident. The government agency responsible for these roadways have 45 days to send their response.
Next Steps
Does your recent collision resemble any of these same situations? If so, then hiring a car accident lawyer is probably the smartest thing you can do.
Talk to your friends and co-workers and ask them if they can recommend attorneys with torte law experience. These skills will be valuable if you are trying to negotiate a settlement. You will also benefit from these skills if your case moves into the court system.
When you have a list of referrals, call them to request a lawyer consultation to discuss your case. Ask each referral to describe their experience with car accident victims. You might also ask them what they think are your chances of winning your case.
You can also check out the other resources from our website for other helpful car accident case information. Let Attorney at Law Magazine help you reach the best outcome in your case.
Comments 7
Thank you so much so much good information being in a car accident is not a good thing but it happens to everybody eventually one day
It’s valuable that you mention that a car accident lawyer can help you get a settlement from the insurance company if you have been injured by someone else in a collision. My brother severely hurt his back when someone hit his vehicle last night, so I’m thinking about hiring an auto accident lawyer to help him. I’m going to look for a reputable auto accident lawyer in the area that I can hire.
I fear the day that anyone from my family will be involved in a car accident but I would like to be prepared as possible for it. It really helped how you stated that a car accident attorney can help with cases with disputes over who is at fault because I can already see one of us in the family being confused and upset after an accident and not being able to think or reason properly, so any help with the case during that time would be greatly appreciated. I’ll be sure to show your article to my relatives so we can help each other look for any law firms that we can start talking to. Thank you!
My cousin had encountered a car accident as he was on his way home. He said that the other driver was recklessly driving. He thought that the guy must have been drunk, but he refuses to. However, he is now under recovery in the hospital and the other party doesn’t want to pay even half of the medical expenses. With that, my cousin wants to hire an auto accident lawyer. It’s good to know that a car accident lawyer is trained to manage multiple claims to help me with my interests.
I had no idea that when multiple people are injured in the same accident as I am, I must hire a car accident lawyer immediately. Since I regularly pass by the road where post lights are dim, I think this would cause me accident. In case an accident occurs in the road, it’s good that to know that I’ll have to contact a lawyer. Hopefully, I can find one here in Orlando.
Thanks for the tip that I would most probably need a car accident lawyer if multiple people have been injured in an accident. I am currently working a night shift job and in order to get there, I have to drive through a highway that is notorious for its speeding vehicles late in the night. I think it would be great if I know my legal options in case I get into an accident somehow.
It’s interesting to know that a car accident lawyer can help you to claim payment for emotional traumas due to an accident. In my opinion, having an experienced car accident lawyer will help you to solve your case with the best outcome possible. I will contact a car accident lawyer if I find myself in that situation.