Why It Makes Sense To Seek Legal Advice After An Auto Accident

Unfortunately, car accidents are a fact of life. In the USA, the average driver will have one every 18 years. So, the chances are that at some point you will be involved in one.

If that does happen, it makes a lot of sense to speak to an auto accident lawyer. Below, we explain why that is the case.

 

They Can Help You To Avoid Legal Pitfalls

When you have an accident, you can never be sure what may happen next. At the scene, the other driver could agree that they were to blame. But, the next day, they might change their minds and decide that you are the one at fault and try to sue you for damages.

An experienced accident lawyer will have seen and dealt with this and many other situations, during their professional life. They will, therefore, be able to prepare you for all eventualities. A good lawyer will pick up on all kinds of things that you would otherwise miss.

You May Be Eligible For Compensation

For example, you may think that you have no entitlement to compensation. But, your lawyer may, with their deeper understanding of the situation, recognise the fact that you do have a case. So, you could end up receiving some compensation that you were not expecting.

Your Car Insurance Firm May Not Provide All The Support You Need

An awful lot of people do not consult an accident lawyer because they assume that their insurance company will take care of everything. This is an understandable assumption to make. After all, they have lawyers working for them.

You Are Not Your Car Insurance Provider’s Priority

But it is not as simple as that. You have to bear in mind that their lawyer needs to make the insurance company their priority. It is the firm, they are representing, not you. Most of the time the interests of the insurance company will dovetail with yours and the outcome will be OK. But this will not always be the case. In that situation, your interests will suffer.

Your Insurance Policy May Not Cover All Legal Costs

The other thing people forget is that insurance policies have limits. If someone gets injured during the accident you are involved in, they will seek compensation. Provided you bought the right type of policy and fulfil the criteria your insurance company will foot the bill. But only up to a point. If your policy says that your liability coverage only goes up to $40,000, that is all they will pay out. So, if the person needs $90,000 in compensation you will have to pay the remaining $40,000.

In that scenario, you will be sorry that you did not hire a lawyer with experience in dealing with vehicle accident claims. Potentially, they would have been able to substantially reduce the amount of compensation that was awarded to the other party. The net result being that you would have had to pay less out of your own pocket. You can find out more about how bodily injury car accident insurance works, by clicking here.

As you can see, it really does makes sense to seek proper legal advice after an accident. Fortunately, it will not cost you much to do so. Most lawyers offer a free initial consultation or do so for a low flat fee.