Car Accident Lawyer in Charleston

There’s nothing like a peaceful drive around Charleston, WV. You can visit the nearby Capitol Flea Market, make your way through Kanawha State Forest, or just spend the day driving beside the crystal-blue Elk River. The Charleston area is replete with beautiful landscapes and attractions that are just a short drive away.

But an idyllic trip can quickly become a nightmare if it ends abruptly in a car accident. And unfortunately, wherever there are roads and cars, there are accidents. Eventually, your luck may run out, and you might find yourself sitting in an unmoving and badly damaged car on the side of the road.

If you’ve never considered how to deal with that situation, you’re not alone. Most people give little thought to what they would do after an accident. They purchase car insurance (as required by law) and assume it will handle all of their problems after a car accident.

In an ideal world, this is true. But this is far from an ideal world. So it’s better to hope for the best and plan for the worst in case you ever find yourself in this situation. You should understand your options and have a solid plan on how to proceed.

The first step of any plan when dealing with an accident should be to consult the car accident lawyers in Charleston at Morgan & Morgan. Our attorneys will help you understand your options and will guide you through the complex insurance claims process. Contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation with our car accident lawyers in Charleston.

Why Your First Step Should Be Consulting With Car Accident Lawyers in Charleston

It’s barely hyperbole to say that insurance companies have an army of lawyers working on their side. And while you may not realize it, the insurance company that compensates you for a car accident is not on your side.

The simple truth is that, as the claimant, you are requesting that they pay you money. And even if you deserve that money, based on the terms of your insurance policy (or another driver’s policy), this makes you the enemy. After all, if the insurance company pays you compensation, that’s less money that it will make in profits — and profits are all that matter to an insurance company.

This means that the insurance company will try to do everything possible to minimize the amount of compensation it’s responsible for giving you. While there are several legal ways they can decrease your payout, those ways aren’t always fair. 

The good news is that, regardless of what an insurance company does, you have the right to dispute its decisions. However, you need to be well-trained in the claims process and insurance law to successfully win these disputes. Otherwise, you will be severely limited in your ability to fight a small army of corporate lawyers. 

That’s why you should consult with car accident lawyers in Charleston from Morgan and Morgan. We have the knowledge and experience to maximize your compensation after a car accident. Our attorneys know the tactics insurance companies use to decrease compensation and how to counter them.

What to Expect After a Car Accident

After a car accident, you’ll probably be under a lot of stress — and who could blame you? Your car is wrecked, you are injured, and you must deal with a mountain of red tape just to get compensation for even the smallest expenses. And to top it off, your injuries will likely render you unable to earn a living for weeks to months.

When people are under stress, they often make poor decisions. Our goal is to help you avoid those poor decisions that will put you in greater financial hardship and to get you the money you need to recover quickly and comfortably.

With that in mind, here’s what you’ll need to prepare yourself for in the days following an accident:

Injuries and Healthcare

If you’ve been seriously injured in a car accident, you should receive immediate medical attention and potentially long-term care. You must follow your doctor’s instructions and get any treatment available for your injuries. Any lapse in treatment could aggravate your injuries.

Many clients worry about how they’ll pay for medical attention, particularly if they have serious injuries. However, this is the first area where our car accident lawyers in Charleston, WV, can help you. During your initial case evaluation, we will determine approximately how much money you can expect to get from the insurance company. Then, we will fight vigorously to ensure you get every dime of that money. 

This means you can comfortably get treatment for your injuries, knowing that your attorney won’t let an insurance company undervalue your claim.

The Claims Process

Another major stressor after an accident is the claims process, a bureaucratic mess that can often take weeks or months longer than it should if you don’t know what you’re doing. And at any step in the process, the insurance company can decide to deny your claim for almost any reason.

Our attorneys make every effort to get through this process quickly by cutting through the red tape. We know exactly what type of information and evidence the insurance company needs, and we collect it rapidly.

This means you never have to rely on an insurance agent to answer your questions about the claims process. Instead, we will make sure that you are informed every step of the way.

Communication

Many car accident victims must navigate the aftermath of their wreck in solitude. After all, they may have friends and family, but they rarely can do anything to help their loved one jump through the legal hoops that insurance companies put in place.

Furthermore, insurance companies are often very poor at communicating with claimants during the process. You can give them some information and then don’t hear anything back for days or weeks.

This solitude can tempt people to reach out on social media, either to ask for help or just to vent. Unfortunately, this is the last thing you want to do after a car accident. Insurance companies can potentially use anything you post online to limit your compensation. You can be sure that they’re scouring your social media, looking for any evidence to use against you.

Morgan & Morgan can’t replace your friends and family, but we can help you feel less isolated by being your trusted advisors. Unlike your insurance company, we regularly communicate with clients and tell them exactly what is happening with their claims. It won’t always be quick, but you will always feel well-informed.

Negotiating for Compensation

Many people don’t get the money they deserve from insurance companies because they don’t realize how much they can be compensated for. When you have been injured in a car accident in West Virginia, you can potentially be compensated for the following:

• The cost to treat injuries suffered in the accident
• The value of lost wages or work opportunities
• Compensation for your pain and suffering
• Ongoing costs for therapy or medical assistance
• The cost of medical equipment like crutches or a brace

At Morgan & Morgan, our experience with these cases allows us to easily calculate the full value of your expenses. That becomes the starting point for any negotiations we have with the insurance company. We will do everything in our power to hold your insurer accountable for paying you no less than the full amount you need to recover fully.

Typically, we can resolve negotiations quickly because we bring a mountain of evidence to prove the value of your claim. This means you will often receive your compensation within a few weeks of the accident.

However, the insurance company will occasionally refuse to negotiate in good faith. When that happens, we can take them to court to force them to pay you the compensation you deserve for the accident. Our experienced team of lawyers has an excellent record of success in winning money for clients at trial.