When Should I Hire A Car Accident Lawyer?
If you’ve been involved in a car accident, you’re more than likely wondering what to do next. You’ve hopefully received any medical attention you might need and reported the accident to the police. Now you’re deciding whether or not you want to hire an attorney.
The Law Office of Arye Corbett will be ready to help. We can increase the likelihood that you’ll be able to obtain the compensation you deserve. Please get in touch with us today for a free consultation. You can reach us online or you can call (561) 948-3700.
When to Hire a Boca Raton Car Accident Lawyer?
You probably won’t need an attorney if the wreck was minor and didn’t lead to any injuries. While it’s never a bad idea to get legal representation, you could probably handle that type of accident on your own.
On the other hand, you’ll likely need to hire a lawyer right away if the injury led to:
extensive property damage
serious injuries
death
An attorney can work to preserve evidence, help protect you from the predatory practices of insurance companies, and much more. These are just a few of the instances where you’ll simply have to seek the help of an experienced, skilled attorney.
Your Car Accident Was Serious or Caused Injury
Consulting a personal injury attorney as soon as possible is your best course of action if you or someone else was hurt due to the accident. You have to have a complete understanding of your rights before you talk to an insurance company adjuster or even have any kind of conversation with the other driver involved in the wreck.
It’s also important to realize that you might not know the extent of your injuries right away. Certain types of injuries can take days, weeks, or even longer to manifest. You don’t know what kind of psychological trauma you may eventually experience. And you don’t know what your medical bills will ultimately be.
An attorney can help you obtain compensation for these and other expenses you might not have even considered, such as lost wages should you have to miss time from work.
When You Have to Negotiate With an Insurance Company
You’ve no doubt seen insurance company ads on television. Many of them are well made. And some are also quite funny. But you need to realize that insurance companies are anything but friendly. They’re in business to make huge profits and minimize losses. Paying you a fair amount of compensation after being in a wreck won’t help your provider meet those goals.
It will be imperative that you get the help of an attorney who knows how to deal with insurance companies. At The Law Office of Arye Corbett, we have a great deal of experience negotiating with insurers. We have a deep understanding of how they work and the tactics they use in order to intimidate car accident victims. We will make sure your rights are protected at every turn. And we’ll work to get you the most compensation possible for what you’ve endured.
You’ve Been Blamed for the Car Accident or the Other Driver’s Injuries
In many instances, all parties involved in a collision will try to assign blame to the other parties involved. If other drivers try to blame you for the accident and the injuries they’ve suffered, you need to be able to defend yourself. There’s a chance you may not receive any compensation whatsoever if the responsibility gets shifted to you.
This is yet another reason why you should hire a lawyer. Your attorney will not only work to produce the evidence needed to show the accident wasn’t your fault. But they will also prove that you’re entitled to compensation for your injuries. This evidence will be a powerful ally in your case.
Your Accident Has Caused Pain and Suffering
There are basically two forms of compensation, or “damages,” that arise from a car accident. These are economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are easy to quantify. They include medical bills, property damage, lost wages and more.
Non-economic damages, however, are not as easy to identify. This is because they’re not tangible. It can be hard to place a value on them from a monetary standpoint. These include loss of consortium and pain and suffering that stem from the accident.
You’ll need an attorney who knows how to place a value on non-economic damages. Moreover, they need to know how insurance companies will try to downplay your claim. An experienced attorney will be able to call on experts who can testify on your behalf and strengthen your case should the matter go to court.
How Do Insurance Companies Try to Lower or Deny Claims?
Insurance companies have a team of aggressive adjusters and lawyers on their side. They’ll do everything they can to pay as little money as possible. If they can get away with paying nothing, they’ll do so in a second.
These are just some of the typical tactics insurance companies use to deny or minimize legit injury claims:
Trying to get you to agree to a pittance. For instance, this could mean offering to pay for your medical expenses while “throwing in” a few hundred dollars for your pain and suffering.
Attempting to convince you to delay medical treatment while they supposedly work to confirm liability. They can then use that delay against you. They’ll say that if you were really hurt you would’ve seen a doctor sooner.
Some insurance company adjusters will act sympathetic and friendly at first. They’ll ask if you’re feeling okay and try getting you to drop your guard. Then they’ll ask if they can record your statement regarding how the accident occurred. Insurance adjusters are extremely clever. They know how to ask questions in a certain way to benefit their end goal. Once you go on record, they use the information you give them against you. Never speak to an insurance company. Always have your attorney speak to the insurance company for you.
How Much Does a Car Accident Lawyer Cost?
The Law Office of Arye Corbett will not charge you a dime unless we’re successful in helping you obtain the compensation you deserve. We will be happy to meet you in person to discuss the details of your case and let you know your rights and options.
How Do I Choose the Right Accident Lawyer?
There are a lot of car accident attorneys that air compelling ads on television. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll provide you with competent representation. The website of the Florida Bar has resources that allow you to check on any discipline the attorneys you’re considering have faced. You should also look online to see reviews of the lawyers you’re thinking of hiring.
Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
An experienced attorney can level the playing field, fighting for you against the aggressive tactics insurance companies typically use to minimize compensation or to eliminate compensation entirely. Attorneys can also protect clients from making mistakes that could ruin their case and their chances of receiving money for their injuries.
Contact a Boca Car Accident Lawyer Today
Get in touch with The Law Office of Arye Corbett as soon as you can to see what we can do for you. We’ll listen to the details of your case and tell you how we may be able to help. Contact us online or call (561) 948-3700 for a free case review.