11 Nov

Why You Should Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer After a Car Accident

Car Accidents, In the News, Tips

Why You Should Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer After a Car Accident

If you are injured in a car accident, your first thought after calling the police is probably not to call a lawyer – but it should be!

You may assume that it is easier or less expensive to deal with your insurance company directly. However, the research supports that hiring a personal injury attorney who specializes in car accident cases results in a better overall outcome.

There are many reasons for this, but logically, it just makes sense that someone who has studied law for years, has been certified by the state to practice law, and who has experience securing settlements for other car accident victims is a better choice than yourself to manage your claim, particularly if you are injured.

Insurance companies know that you are much more likely to accept a low offer or be intimidated by their denial of your claim if you are not working with a lawyer. They realize that they may be able to mislead you or refuse you just compensation because you do not know the law well enough to dispute them (or don’t know that you can dispute them).

According to a survey from Martindale-Nolo Research, having a personal injury attorney settle your claim is one of the most influential factors when it comes to determining compensation. More than 91% of victims with lawyers received some type of payout, while only 51% of victims who attempted to settle their claims on their own received a payout.

Participants who had attorneys received settlement amounts that were $60,000 higher (on average) than those who didn’t before contingency fees, and even after PI lawyers were paid, those with legal representation walked away with more than triple the amount unrepresented parties received.

If a personal injury lawyer provides services on a contingency-fee basis, it means that you only pay after your claim has been settled, and those fees would come out of your settlement. So unless your injury was extremely minor, and you know for a fact that any potential settlement would be small (something that is difficult to calculate if you have no legal experience), then hiring with an attorney is almost always going to guarantee a higher amount. Keep in mind that they are also motivated to perform well because they only get paid if they do their job correctly. The more money they win you, the more money they receive.

Car accident personal injury attorneys can also threaten to file a lawsuit with a much higher success rate. The same survey found that if participants’ lawyers notified the insurance companies that they were ready to file a suit, or actually did file, they were more than 20% likely to get double the settlement amount. Personal injury cases rarely see court, but having an attorney proves to your insurance company that you are serious and prepared.

Attorneys can advise you on laws, statutes, and rules that you may not know about. They do all of the paperwork, which can be frustrating and time-consuming for you to do yourself, particularly if you are recovering from an accident. In most cases, legal proceedings are exhausting for car accident victims; a good attorney will fight for you when you have no fight left.

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, working with a personal injury lawyer is your best chance of recovering the damages you deserve. Your settlement can affect how quickly and completely you are able to heal, so it is important to have someone advocating for you that knows the legal processes and can estimate how much your case is worth!

The Florida Law Group’s personal injury attorneys are among the top 1% of lawyers in the state. We have recovered millions for our clients, and we know exactly what it takes to stand up to large insurance companies. Our ability to get verdicts for our clients has earned us national recognition. Contact us today for a free case evaluation!