What Type of Attorney Handles Car Accidents?

If you, a friend, or a family member has recently been hurt in a devastating car accident, you likely have more questions than answers. If you were not at fault and think that another party caused the accident due to negligence, you may be entitled to compensation, but there’s a limited time in which you could pursue legal action. All of these stressful factors may prompt you to ask what kind of lawyer handles car accidents. 

Car accidents fall under the umbrella of personal injury claims and may, depending on the circumstances of the accident, also be considered defective product claims. Personal injury claims involve those lawsuits filed by victims who are seriously hurt because of another person's negligent behavior or reckless actions. These lawsuits are filed when a victim is unable to recover full and fair compensation for their bills and medical treatment through their own insurance company or the other party's insurance carrier. A personal injury lawyer is the professional who will handle car accident cases. A personal injury attorney can also be an invaluable source of information for a victim who is attempting to determine what their lawsuit might look like and the steps involved in filing a claim.

What Does a Personal Injury Lawyer Do?

A personal injury lawyer is an attorney who has a significant or entire portion of their practice dedicated to representing the interests of victims. This means they are very familiar with local and state laws around victims' rights and some of the common strategies used by the insurance companies to delay or deny claims. 

A personal injury attorney is also very familiar with collecting evidence, including bringing in outside experts as witnesses where necessary. Many people assume that their insurance company will compensate them fully for the injuries they have sustained in an accident, but it can be a shock to realize that your insurance company is more interested in protecting their bottom line than paying out the claim to you. Even when you have filed an immediate claim and provided appropriate evidence indicating the severity of your injuries, this does not always mean that you will receive compensation as owed to you. This is yet another reason why it is important to retain a personal injury lawyer to help handle your car accident legal case. 

Your car accident lawyer can play many different roles in the handling of your case, including:

• Evaluating the severity of your injuries
• Communicating with the insurance company on your behalf
• Reviewing any received settlement offers and providing you with insight as to whether or not they are fair
• Helping you to obtain additional medical treatment or medical records to bolster your claim
• Helping you to gather and catalog evidence, such as lost wages and other impacts the accident has had on your life
• Preparing your case for trial
• Negotiating settlement conversations with the other side either before or during the trial

One of the biggest reasons to find an attorney who handles car accidents is because it can dramatically reduce the stress level that you experience in going through this process. You will feel much more comfortable and confident when you have retained an experienced and dedicated personal injury lawyer to help explain to you some of the most important components of your case. 

You are less likely to miss deadlines or to get confused about any phase of the process when you have had a lawyer explain what to expect from the beginning. Furthermore, as questions or concerns come up as part of the case, you will already have an attorney at your side who can help you answer these important questions and decide on your next steps. With many different aspects to consider, you need to have an attorney who has been in this position before and one who is well versed in crafting a comprehensive legal strategy. Although many personal injury cases are effectively resolved outside of court, this is not the case for all of them, and you want an attorney who is trial-ready and who has been through this process before: gathering evidence and going to court.

When Should I Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?

Anyone who has suffered injuries in an accident caused by someone else could hire a personal injury lawyer. This is because they are the primary kind of attorney who handles car accident cases. However, certain people need to reach out for legal support sooner rather than later, including:

• Those who have experienced substantial injuries
• Those who are having difficulty calculating their long term expenses such as future medical care for their case
• Those who have already had problems communicating with the insurance company
• Those in those who have very little evidence and may require advanced support like accident reconstruction, or insight from expert witnesses
• Those who are dealing with insurance companies who refuse to return their calls

It is strongly recommended that you communicate with a car accident lawyer as soon as possible because each state has what is known as a statute of limitations. This is a specific time limit under which you must file your legal claim or you forever waive the right to pursue compensation regardless of the other party's fault. The statute of limitations is typically two to four years, but you want to research this in your individual state before contacting an attorney. The sooner you speak with a lawyer, the more prepared you'll be to understand some of the most common issues in your car accident case. 

Most people are caught off guard by how difficult it can be to balance the legal aspects of your claim alongside trying to get treatment for your injuries and figuring out what your new normal looks like. This is where handing over the legal aspects of your case and getting a good understanding of what a fair settlement or outcome looks like can give you some hope of being able to close this chapter of your life and to move forward effectively. There are a variety of different kinds of questions that need to be answered when you are filing a personal injury case, and all of these can be answered by a personal injury attorney who has a strong track record of experience in this area of the law.

What makes personal injury law different? 

Personal injury law has a couple of different factors when compared with other types of legal practices. First of all, in personal injury law, attorneys accept cases on what is known as a contingency fee basis. This is different from other arrangements with lawyers who may take a retainer or set up an hourly arrangement with you. A contingency fee case means that the lawyer only gets paid any event they negotiate a successful settlement or achieve a jury verdict in your favor. This means you do not have to pay money upfront. 

Another key aspect of personal injury cases that makes them different from other types of law is that it is important to understand the concepts of negligence. You may be responsible for illustrating in your case why someone else is responsible for your injuries and the damages you have sustained. You need an experienced litigator who is good at storytelling and can pull together all of these different pieces to make that claim for you. 

Why does experience matter so much in PI cases? 

An attorney who primarily practices in personal injury will know many of the most common pitfalls in these sorts of cases and will also have a strong network of resources to tap into to fight hard for justice on your behalf. When there is so much in front of you it can easily feel overwhelming and confusing, but finding an attorney who handles car accident cases can give you some peace of mind that you have made an important first step in protecting your legal rights and in moving forward into a new future. 

At Morgan & Morgan, our law firm has a strong track record and reputation throughout the country for vigorously protecting victims' rights. We know that a car accident case can turn your life upside down, and we work hard on your behalf to prepare a case that presents all major aspects of your claim.

We'll be there to support you each step of the way and have experience in complex claims, such as product defects, cases involving multiple liable parties, and cases involving catastrophic injuries. Having the right legal team at your side to handle all of these kinds of cases can make a big difference in the outcome of your case. Contact us today for a free consultation and to learn more about what is required to file a legal claim.