A lawyer can get you the most money from a car accident.
While attorneys cannot guarantee results, they offer many benefits that may lead to a stronger insurance claim or lawsuit. A lawyer’s financial resources, relevant experience, and support staff are among the reasons to hire one.
Car accident lawyers maximize their clients’ compensation. Let a car accident lawyer fight for you, and they will work to maximize your financial recovery.
Why Hiring a Lawyer May Help You Get the Most Money from Your Car Accident
Lawyers don’t guarantee results, but hiring a lawyer can lead to the financial outcome you deserve following a car accident.
Some reasons to hire a car accident lawyer include:
A Lawyer’s Financial Resources
Car accidents that result in injuries can cost you a six- or seven-figure medical bill. You may need and deserve a large financial recovery, and it sometimes takes money to secure such large recoveries.
Your law firm will sink many resources into your case, including:
- The lawyer’s time
- The lawyer’s effort
- The law firm’s money, allowing them to hire experts, reconstruct the accident, and take other beneficial steps when building your case
- The time and efforts of support staff, including but not limited to paralegals
Your case will cost even more if it goes to trial. If you are serious about pursuing all the money you deserve, a law firm will make its financial support priceless.
A Lawyer’s Staff and Third-Party Experts
While car accident victims who hire a lawyer know they’re getting a legal counselor, they don’t always realize they get much more than a lawyer.
Many law firms that handle car accident cases also supply clients with:
- Paralegals
- Case managers
- Intake specialists
- Industry experts
- Other high-value individuals who contribute to insurance claims and lawsuits
Hiring experts costs the law firm money. These law firms recognize that experts can bring significant value to a case, though, so they believe the expert’s services will lead to a larger financial recovery (and justify the cost of hiring the expert). Such resources will come at no direct cost to you.
The Value of a Lawyer’s Experience with Car Accident Cases
Experience is a benefit in any professional field, whether carpentry, accounting, or personal injury law.
Always consider a lawyer’s experience before you hire them, as a history of completing cases like yours can help when:
- Dealing with bad-faith insurance tactics
- Calculating the cost of a car accident
- Negotiating settlements
- Completing trials
You deserve a lawyer who has proven themselves, as experience is one of the benefits you should prioritize when hiring an attorney.
A Lawyer’s Understanding of Insurance Rules and State Laws
Whether you file an insurance claim or pursue a lawsuit (or do both, as sometimes happens in car accident cases), the letter of the law is critically important.
The problem for car accident survivors is that insurance rules and state laws are:
- Dense
- Complicated
- Sometimes difficult to access
- Often made more complicated by exceptions and loopholes
- Not always reflective of how matters work in reality
Attorneys know the law. They also know how the laws do and don’t apply in the real world. Rather than trying to find, study, and apply complex statutes, allow a car accident lawyer to lend you their existing knowledge.
A Law Firm’s Ability to Take Car Accident Cases to Trial
Few car accident cases go to trial. Instead, they settle. However, some car accident victims have obtained the compensation they deserve by letting a lawyer take their case to court.
If you’re like most car accident victims, you have little to no experience with lawsuits, let alone trials. This can limit your options when seeking compensation. If you hire a lawyer, all options (including a lawsuit and trial) become immediately available to you.
Does It Cost Money to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
It does not cost you any money out of your own pocket to hire a car accident attorney. Instead, attorneys offer a beneficial arrangement that works for both them and their client, and it’s called a contingency fee.
When you hire a lawyer on contingency—as most car accident victims do—you:
- Do not have to pay the law firm any upfront fees or costs
- Recognize if your lawyer obtains compensation for you, the lawyer receives a percentage of the recovery (and you will know what that percentage is before you hire the lawyer)
- Do not have to pay the lawyer out of pocket under any circumstances
Rather than you having to pay your hard-earned money for legal representation, your law firm will pay the cost of completing your case. Your law firm is taking the financial risk for you, and they do so because they think you can bring a successful case.
How Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer Could Also Benefit You Personally
You receive many case-related benefits when you hire a car accident lawyer, including the attorney’s services and the law firm’s financial support.
Many clients experience added benefits when they let a lawyer handle their claim or lawsuit, and this includes:
- Reduced stress (and, for some, even peace of mind): Being in an accident is stressful. Dealing with insurance companies may only add to your stress. Allowing an attorney to deal with insurers and handle your other case-related duties should reap mental health benefits.
- Protection from those who oppose your case: Attorneys recognize the potential threats to their clients’ cases—and they neutralize those threats. One of the primary threats is insurance companies looking to reduce their financial losses by engaging in bad-faith tactics.
- More time for treatment and recovery: The more time you have to heal and receive treatment, the quicker you may recover and find normalcy after the collision.
- More time for your personal obligations and needs: Car accident survivors have lives, and dealing with a claim or lawsuit can cut into their responsibilities and needs. With a lawyer overseeing your case, you should have more time for family and other important aspects of your life.
When looking for a lawyer, you may start by asking people you trust if they’ve used a car accident attorney in your area. Also, consider conducting an internet search for firms in your area, reading reviews, evaluating case results, and seeing if the firm’s messaging resonates with you.
How Your Car Accident Lawyer Will Build a High-Caliber Case for You
Before you hire a lawyer, you should have clear expectations for what they’re going to do for you. Each car accident case differs, but some of the duties that most attorneys perform for accident victims include:
Communicating with Insurers
Insurance companies will:
- Need information from you (like medical bills)
- Have the power to provide a fair settlement and resolve your case
- Have their own financial interests, which may oppose yours
Your attorney will secure a fair settlement from liable insurers. Your attorney will protect you from insurers, too.
Securing Critical Evidence of Negligence
Proving negligence is a critical step in any car accident case.
Your attorney may prove the negligence of at-fault parties with:
- Video of the accident
- Witness accounts detailing how the collision happened
- Expert’s reconstruction of the accident
- A police report
- Statements from those involved in the accident (including you)
- Photographs from the scene (which may include vehicle damage, skid marks, and other relevant sights)
- Other types of evidence that benefit your case
Attorneys often work with investigators who quickly obtain any evidence that can help their client’s case.
Documenting the Client’s Damages
Some accident victims break bones. Others have brain injuries that affect their mood and memory. Each survivor endures unique challenges, and your lawyer will obtain documentation detailing your unique challenges.
Medical bills and records, medical images, income statements, expert diagnoses of mental health challenges, and invoices can document your car accident case.
Determining the Case Value
Attorneys understand how to calculate complex damages, including pain and suffering. You typically have one opportunity to secure fair compensation for a car accident—you need an accurate calculation of your damages, and your lawyer will provide one.
Pursuing a Settlement
Once your attorney knows the precise cost of your damages, they will:
- Review any settlement offers you received from liable insurers
- Respond to any existing offers
- Present their own settlement demands, as insurance companies rarely offer fair first offers
Your attorney may engage insurers in negotiations, which may require a detailed discussion of what a fair settlement will look like. Many car accident victims receive fair settlements, and your attorney will work hard to resolve your case through a settlement.
Filing a Lawsuit
While many accident victims receive fair settlements with help from their attorney, liable parties are not always willing to offer fair compensation. If this is true in your case, your attorney will file a car accident lawsuit on your behalf.
Going to Trial
Trial is another relatively rare event for car accident survivors. However, a car accident lawsuit may lead to trial, especially if there is a large gap between your lawyer’s settlement demands and liable parties’ best offer.
Your attorney will:
- Prepare your case with the possibility of a trial in mind
- Give you a comprehensive rundown of what trial is and whether they believe it is a worthwhile pursuit for you
- Complete the pre-trial process for you, including high-stakes steps like depositions
- Represent you in court by questioning witnesses, entering evidence, and making your case for the jury to award you compensation
You make the big-picture decisions when it comes to your case. However, your lawyer will provide transparent advice and insights so you can make the best decisions possible.
Damages That You Should Receive Fair Compensation for After a Car Accident
Your attorney will account for all harm resulting from your car accident. This is harm you suffered because of the at-fault party’s negligence, so you should receive fair compensation for any:
Pain and Suffering
This is a common type of non-economic damages that can include:
- Immediate and long-term pain
- Loss of physical abilities
- Loss of, or changes in, cognitive abilities
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Anxiety
- Depression
Don’t feel surprised if your lawyer provides a mental health professional to evaluate you. Such a formal evaluation can help prove the exact nature of your pain and suffering.
Medical Expenses
Car accident victims often require emergency transportation, emergency care, multiple doctor visits, and a host of other costly medical services. Your attorney will learn about your injuries, treatment needs, and care costs. They will include these costs in their settlement calculations.
Professional Losses
The physical injuries, psychological trauma, and cognitive issues that can result from a car accident may lead to:
- Lost income
- The inability to earn bonuses, overtime pay, new career opportunities, and other incentives that require you to be healthy and working
- Diminished earning capacity
Your attorney will learn about your professional damages and ensure your demands reflect them.
Vehicle Repairs and Replacement of Other Damaged Property
If the car accident damages your vehicle, clothing, phone, or other property, your lawyer will calculate the cost of replacing or repairing it.
Disability-Related Damages
Disabling injuries typically cost more than injuries you can fully recover from in a reasonable time. If any of your injuries qualify as disabilities, your attorney will consider related damages like medical equipment costs, rehab costs, and the total loss of earning power.
Why It’s Important to Hire Your Car Accident Attorney as Soon as Possible
Do not wait to call personal injury attorneys serving your area. Consultations are free, so do not hesitate.
Nicolette R. Nicoletti
Managing Partner
Nicolette R. Nicoletti is the founder and managing partner of the Nicoletti Accident Injury Lawyers. She was born and raised in New Port Richey, Florida. Nicolette attended Genesis Preparatory School and graduated salutatorian of her class. She then went onto Saint Leo University for her undergraduate education. She graduated magna cum laude from the Honors Program with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. While at Saint Leo University, Nicolette was President of Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society), Secretary of Alpha Phi Sigma (Criminal Justice Honor Society), and an active member of Delta Epsilon Sigma (National Scholastic Honor Society).
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