If you were injured in a car wreck that was not your fault, then you should consider hiring an attorney for a car accident. However, if there were no injuries, and the only damage was property damage to the vehicle, then you may be able to handle the claim on your own, without hiring an attorney.
Why it Can Help to Hire an Attorney for Your Car Accident
#1: The insurance company won’t offer you what your claim is worth.
Insurance companies have teams of lawyers and adjusters who will review your claim to determine its value. They will sometimes offer an amount that doesn’t fully cover the cost of your medical treatment. They may sometimes offer an amount that you think seems fair but bars you from recovering for any future medical treatment you may need. And sometimes, they may try to obtain a statement from you and ask questions that will get you to admit fault, or partial fault, allowing them to deny your claim completely. Hiring a lawyer to deal with your insurance company will level the playing field, thereby increasing the likelihood that you will get full and fair compensation for your injuries.
#2: There are time limits also known as the Statute of Limitations.
Anyone injured in an auto accident should hire a lawyer as soon as possible so as not to miss the deadline for recovering financial compensation. In Georgia, there is generally a two-year statute of limitations for car wreck cases. This means that a person injured in a car wreck has two years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. However, the Statute of Limitations can vary from case to case depending on the specifics, such as the age of the person who was injured and any other “tolling” events. There are other deadlines that must be met as well, such as notification deadlines for UM insurance coverage and ante-litem notice deadlines, as well as others that may apply depending on the circumstances of the case.
It’s important to get help right away because:
- the longer a person waits to seek legal help, the greater the likelihood evidence may be lost or witnesses forgotten;
- the greater the possibility that a lawyer won’t take the case because there isn’t enough time to investigate it; and
- the increased likelihood that a person will do something to harm their case, such as giving a recorded statement, without representation, to the insurance company.
#3: Lawyers have the resources needed to investigate a claim.
A good, experienced personal injury lawyer will know how to preserve evidence, interview witnesses, locate and coordinate insurance coverages, (i.e., uninsured motorists, medical payments, liability, and collision) and negotiate with health insurance companies about reimbursement.
As you can see, in a car wreck case, even in a simple case where fault is not disputed, there are many different things happening at the same time. Experienced accident attorneys are able to juggle the many different things that simultaneously arise. Instead of taking on that burden yourself, hire an injury attorney so you can focus on what’s most important – getting better.