If you have been involved in an auto accident, you are probably doing some serious thinking about whether to try to resolve your automobile accident claim on your own. Perhaps the accident that you were involved in was minor, and there were no injuries and very little property damage. You may be able to resolve […]
If you have been involved in an auto accident, you are probably doing some serious thinking about whether to try to resolve your automobile accident claim on your own. Perhaps the accident that you were involved in was minor, and there were no injuries and very little property damage. You may be able to resolve your claim by engaging in the claims process through your insurance company. However, insurance companies may delay in their response to you or otherwise fail to cooperate in settling even the simplest of claims. If you try to resolve your claim and you run into difficulties before the claim is settled, ask an auto accident attorney for help. Your attorney can get the claims process moving again if it has stalled out, and they can help you to pursue a successful resolution of your claim.
Many accidents are not so simple, involving injuries, substantial damage to vehicles, and sometimes even property damage. In these cases, it is essential that you enlist the aid of a car accident attorney so that you can obtain the recovery that you deserve. Drivers who are represented by attorneys often obtain more favorable recoveries than those who resolve their claims on their own, even after accounting for attorneys’ fees. Your auto accident lawyer understands that you need the money that you will receive from your insurance settlement to recover financially for the losses that you sustained as a result of the accident. They will work hard to serve your best interest, and to obtain the best possible settlement from the insurance company.
A third reason to have an attorney help you resolve your automobile accident claim is that resolving an automobile accident claim takes time – time that you probably don’t have. Your life is probably very busy, whether you have returned to work already or you are still recovering from your injuries and participating in treatment and/or physical therapy. You probably do not have time to wait as your insurance company places your call on hold for the third time, or to write a follow up letter or email after your first one went unanswered for weeks. When an attorney makes calls and writes letters on your behalf, the insurance company is likely to respond faster because they know that you are prepared to litigate your claim if need be.
The fourth reason to call an accident attorney today is that they can help you to understand what your claim is truly worth. If you were to receive a settlement offer today, as many accident victims do shortly after their accidents, would you know whether it would adequately compensate you for the full extent of your damages? It is very likely that you may not be able to estimate whether it would, and if you were to accept the settlement offer without a clear understanding of what your case is worth, you may sell yourself short. Your attorney has handled many automobile collision cases, and they know how to evaluate settlement offers and help their clients understand them. If the offer that you have in your hand is inadequate, which happens fairly often, your lawyer will negotiate with the insurance company until they propose an acceptable settlement offer.