When To Hire An Attorney For A Car Accident
When To Hire An Attorney For A Car Accident
If you or somebody you care about is injured in an accident caused by the careless or negligent actions of another driver, you should be able to recover compensation for your losses. However, securing compensation is not always as easy as filing a claim and waiting for the insurance carrier to dole out the money.
In fact, it is rarely that simple. It may be necessary for a car accident victim to seek assistance from a skilled vehicle accident attorney. Here, we want to discuss when you should consider hiring an attorney after a car accident occurs.
The day the accident occurs
After the initial emergency is over with, and after you have sought medical care for your immediate injuries, you need to consider calling an attorney. Even if your car accident case seems relatively straightforward, there is no harm in consulting an attorney for a free consultation.
A competent and experienced car accident lawyer in Orange County will be able to analyze the initial facts of your case as well as your injuries and help determine what the best steps forward should be.
While you can make the initial claim to your insurance carrier on your own, you should strongly consider securing an attorney to handle any further conversations with your carrier, the insurance carrier of the other party, and any other party involved in the case.
If liability is disputed
You should absolutely contact an attorney if there is any dispute about liability in your case. Often, the negligent party or their insurance carrier will try to place some or all of the liability for the crash on the injury victim. This can significantly limit or even eliminate how much compensation the victim receives if those efforts are successful.
Anytime liability is disputed, we crash victim should work with an attorney who can conduct a complete investigation into the case, obtain any evidence needed to show liability, and help negotiate a fair settlement.
The good news is that California operates under a “pure comparative negligence” system. Even if a car accident injury victim is partially responsible for the crash, they can still recover compensation.
If a claim is denied
If you make an insurance claim after a car accident and the at-fault party’s insurance carrier refuses to pay, it may be necessary to file a personal injury lawsuit against the other party. Civil personal injury cases can become incredibly complicated, and you will need a California car accident lawyer to help you through this process. A Riverside car accident attorney will ensure that your case is filed on time and correctly.
How will a crash victim afford an attorney?
Many car accident victims in California wonder how they can afford an attorney. The good news is that most car accident lawyers will take these cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that the injury victim will not have to pay any upfront or out-of-pocket costs for their case.
An attorney that operates on a contingency fee basis will only collect legal fees after they secured the compensation their client needs. This type of fee system ensures that victims have the resources necessary to stand up to other parties involved, including aggressive insurance carriers and legal teams.