When to Call a Lawyer After a Car Accident

If you’re wondering when to call a lawyer after a car accident, it is best to do so immediately to protect your rights and ensure your future health and financial stability. If someone else caused your accident, you could qualify for awards for medical costs, loss of wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. However, the other side may try to fight your claim and keep a payout as low as possible.

Our car accident lawyers can protect you, gather time-sensitive evidence, and ensure an insurance company or at-fault party cannot take advantage of you. Morgan & Morgan wants you to have the best chance of receiving a full and fair settlement. If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a crash, let us help. Contact us today for a free case evaluation to determine what to do next.

When to Contact a Lawyer

While not all involved in a car crash necessarily require legal representation, you should consult an attorney if your accident is severe or complicated. Consider protecting yourself and calling a car accident lawyer as soon as possible when:

• You or someone else in your car suffered a significant injury
• The collision is complex and involves multiple vehicles
• The fault for the accident is unclear or contested
• The crash occurred in a construction zone
• An uninsured or underinsured driver caused the crash
• You disagree with the details in the police report
• You have some responsibility for the accident
• A loved one died in a crash
• The insurance company denied, delayed, or underpaid your claim

When an accident happens, the clock starts ticking for several reasons. Critical evidence could be lost forever if you fail to act immediately. Medical bills and other expenses can come rolling in without pause, and you could lose a considerable amount in lost wages during recovery. Moreover, the time to file a lawsuit can be limited, depending on where you live.

Therefore, one of the best steps you can take immediately after a crash to protect yourself and your family is to contact a car accident lawyer and discuss your legal rights. The sooner you get in touch with Morgan & Morgan, the sooner you could receive fair compensation allowing you to move forward.

When a Minor Accident Requires the Help of a Car Accident Lawyer

If you were involved in a minor accident or fender bender, you might think you could handle it all alone. While this may be true in many cases, even minor crashes sometimes require the help of a seasoned car accident attorney. Circumstances in which you may want to call a lawyer include:

• The accident involves injuries, either to you or the passengers in your car
• The collision resulted in considerable vehicle damage
• You missed work due to the accident
• The insurance company denied your claim and refused to pay for car repairs and other damages

First consultations with car accident attorneys are typically free. Therefore, even if you are unsure whether you require a lawyer, get legal advice tailored to your situation. Morgan & Morgan’s experienced car accident lawyers have your back. We can assess your crash and help you navigate the legal process.

How a Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You?

If you are unsure whether to contact a lawyer after your crash, why not err on the side of caution and call a lawyer to clarify your legal rights and the next best steps? A skilled attorney can help you in several ways, including the following:

Protect Your Rights

An attorney can handle all communication and negotiation with insurance companies, protecting your rights to compensation. Insurance adjusters may try to manipulate you into admitting fault or suggest that your injuries are not as severe as you claim in the hope of minimizing or denying your claim. An attorney can prevent an insurance company from underpaying you.

Gather the Evidence Needed to Prove Your Claim

A car accident lawyer can establish the facts of your collision and preserve critical evidence proving another’s fault and liability. They can also take witness statements and request information from the other parties involved in the crash. Your attorney can protect you from the other side’s lawyer trying to discredit or reduce your claim.

Fight for Full and Fair Compensation

Unrepresented car accident victims may not know the worth of their claims and could be tempted to accept an insurer’s lowball settlement offer. Having an attorney in your corner can help in several ways. They can calculate your damages accurately, including non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering. Your attorney can also represent your case strongly, whether in out-of-court negotiations or at trial.

Importantly, when you hire a lawyer to fight for you, the other side knows you are serious about recovering no less than the entire value of your claim.

Handle the Legal Process While You Are Healing

Why struggle with a complex and lengthy claim or lawsuit alone when you could have a tenacious and experienced attorney fight for you? Going it alone can be stressful and challenging. If you suffered significant injuries, you deserve time to heal and focus on your life instead of haggling over every dollar with at-fault parties and insurance companies. Our car accident lawyers can focus on progressing your case and fight for maximum compensation while allowing you to step back and recover with peace of mind.  

An attorney can help you with all legal aspects of your claim and advise you comprehensively during the legal process. Moreover, if your case goes to trial, they can represent your case strongly and accurately before a judge and jury.

Can A Car Accident Lawyer Maximize Compensation?

A determined car accident lawyer can give you the best chance of recovering an adequate settlement. Not only can your attorney determine the true worth of your claim, but they can also fight any attempts from the other side to reduce or deny you the payout you deserve.

Some of the damages car accident victims could receive include:  

Loss of Income

You don’t have to suffer a catastrophic or disabling injury to lose a considerable amount of income. Even a painful muscle tear, sprain, or dislocation could keep you from work for weeks and result in lost wages.

Car accident victims could be entitled to all income losses due to their accident and injury, including loss of future expected income and benefits.

Medical Bills

Depending on the scope and permanence of a victim’s injuries, the resulting medical costs could be astronomical and cause financial hardship for individuals and their families. However, if someone else is responsible for your crash, their insurance company should reimburse you for all necessary medical costs, including but not limited to:

• Medications
• Medical devices
• Diagnostic tests
• Appointments with specialist doctors
• Rehabilitation
• Ongoing care
• Future medical treatment costs

Property Damage

Some car accidents cause significant car and property damage. If someone else is responsible, they should compensate you for car repair or replacement costs. You could also qualify for repair or replacement of items damaged in the collision, such as:

• Laptop
• Watch
• Cellphone
• Tablet
• Clothing
• Footwear

Physical and Emotional Pain

If you suffered life-changing injuries in a catastrophic accident, you most likely also experienced significant physical pain and emotional distress. Victims sometimes deal with lifelong chronic pain and ongoing emotional distress after an accident. However, you could be entitled to compensation for so-called non-economic damages, such as:  

• Pain and anguish
• Emotional trauma
• Disability
• Reduced life quality

What Are My Next Best Steps After a Car Accident?

What you do after a car crash can either help or hinder your claim. Here are some steps you can take to increase your chances of recovering an adequate settlement:

Call a Car Accident Lawyer

It is never too early to get a car accident lawyer on your side, especially if you or someone you love is injured in a catastrophic accident. A skilled attorney can protect your legal rights immediately, advise you of your next best steps, and even help to gather critical evidence for a compensation claim.

Don’t believe that an insurance company has your best interests at heart. Insurers usually focus on profits rather than helping victims put their lives back together. Morgan & Morgan’s car accident lawyers know the tricks and tactics of insurance companies. We can fight for the total value of your claim all the way to trial.  

Get Medical Help

If you did not receive emergency medical treatment at the accident scene, visit your doctor as soon as possible for a complete check-up. Promptly seeking medical advice is essential for two reasons:

• Safeguarding your health – you may suffer from underlying injuries and conditions that could benefit from timely diagnosis and treatment.
• Protecting your rights – a doctor will document your injuries in a medical report, which can be critical for recovering damages later.

Adhere to Your Treatment Plan

Getting an initial medical evaluation is critical after an accident. However, you must also follow your medical treatment plan closely and cooperate fully with your medical providers. The at-fault party and insurance will look for opportunities to discredit you and claim you exaggerated your injuries. Don’t provide them with the ammunition to fight your claim. Attend all medical appointments and treatments diligently.

Gather Evidence for Your Claim

If you want to recover maximum potential compensation, you must prove, with the relevant evidence, that the other party caused your crash. If possible, start collecting evidence at the accident scene and continue to do so in the days after the crash. Materials that can help to prove your case and damages include:

• Photographs of the accident scene and the damaged vehicles
• The police accident report
• Statements from other drivers and witnesses
• Medical reports documenting your injuries and treatments
• Receipts of expenses, such as medical bills and transport costs
• Pay stubs and bank statements showing lost income

How Do I Get Hold of the Police Report After a Car Accident?

A police report can contain vital information about your crash, including:

• The time, date, and location of the accident
• Weather and road conditions
• Citations issued
• Arrests made
• The officer’s opinion about who is at fault

While police reports are generally inadmissible in court, they contain details and information that may be essential for your car accident claim. Police reports can become particularly important in crashes with serious damages and severe injuries.

You can request a copy of the report from the responsible police department online or in person. However, if you are unfamiliar with the process, our car accident lawyers can obtain the police report, advise you on your next best steps, and fight for fair compensation on your behalf.

All Law Firms Are Not the Same 

Car accident injuries could negatively impact the rest of your life. You deserve the best legal representation available if another is responsible for the collision. However, not all law firms work in their clients’ best interests. Some take the easy route and settle for an insurance company’s last best offer, avoiding the hassle and expense of trial.

Morgan & Morgan never settles for less, even if it means going to court. We want to see you recover physically, emotionally, and financially after an accident. Our car accident lawyers do not just total up your medical bills to arrive at a settlement amount but assess an accident’s full impact on your health, finances, home life, and career. You don’t pay a dime unless and until we win and you receive compensation.

Contact Us Now

Morgan & Morgan is on your side. Our motivated and experienced attorneys want to help you receive a fair settlement. Contact us now to find out for free how we can help you get justice and compensation.