5 Dangers of Not Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer After an Accident
It’s tempting to avoid dealing with the law and attorneys as much as possible. You might believe it will be a stressful experience involving a lot of paperwork and headaches. Because of that, you may be tempted to let your insurance company handle everything after a car accident that wasn’t your fault. Unfortunately, this is a mistake. Let’s look at some of the dangers a car accident injury lawyer in San Antonio can help you avoid.
5 Dangers of Not Hiring a Car Accident Injury Lawyer in San Antonio
1. You Could Lose Compensation You’re Entitled To
You could be entitled to a settlement of tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, insurance companies will do everything they can to ensure you don’t get the full value of your claim. Getting them to offer you the full amount of the compensation you deserve is often an uphill battle. You most likely don’t have much experience negotiating with insurance companies, so it’s a battle you won’t always win.
Hiring a top San Antonio car accident lawyer will give you a better shot at negotiating this company up to offering you the full extent of the damages you suffered. Even when your lawyer takes their contingency fee, you’ll find the sum you win will be much heftier than one you’d win without a lawyer fighting in your corner.
2. You May Not Know How Much To Claim
Most people either claim for too little or too much when going up against someone in a personal injury case after a car crash. You might overestimate the worth of your future damages. On the other hand, you may underestimate the number of things you can claim for. You can claim for things such as car damages, medical fees, emotional distress, loss of work, future medical damages, and more.
If you go in with a reasonable sum to claim for, then you’re more likely to get it than one that’s way overestimated. You deserve to be compensated fairly, so don’t let yourself lose out by neglecting to hire an experienced attorney from a law firm like Moseley Collins.
3. You’ll Lose Time
Dealing with the law is a messy, time-consuming affair. You have to deal with a lot of paperwork before and after making a personal injury claim against the liable party in your car accident. You also have to understand this paperwork to ensure you don’t make mistakes when filling it out and filing it. This is difficult, as there’s a lot of legal jargon you’ll need to research. Plus, there are many laws you’ll have to understand if you want to win your case.
Then, of course, you have to deal with gathering evidence, talking to witnesses, and building a case for yourself to prove you’re entitled to the sum you’re claiming for. These cases already take a long time with legal representation. They’ll take even longer if you have to do all of this yourself. You should let a professional car accident attorney lake oswego oregon handle it, as you need to focus on healing from your accident’s physical and emotional impact.
4. You’ll Lose Money If You’re Partially Liable
You may be partially liable for the car accident. Perhaps you were speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, or not paying attention to the signs declaring the speed limit. The world is full of distractions; sometimes, these things just slip your mind. However, just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean the other party wasn’t liable. There are many acts considered negligent or reckless driving under the Texas Transportation Code.
A lawyer knows how to calculate your liability. They can then claim for a percentage of your settlement. For example, if your lawyer or the insurance companies determine you were 20% responsible for the accident, then you will get 80% of your settlement. If you’re alone, they won’t often have the expertise required to prove which party was more liable for the accident, so you could lose your whole settlement if you don’t have legal representation.
5. You May Miss the Deadline to File a Claim
If you’re badly injured, then you may not feel physically or mentally ready to file your claim until you’re fully recovered. Some injuries can take years to fully heal, and you may not have the time to deal with recovery and a legal case at the same time. However, the statute of limitation for filing a car accident lawsuit is two years. You need to file within this time. Contacting an attorney to file your claim and build a case for you will ensure this is done.
You should always hire a lawyer when dealing with confusing and time-consuming legal matters. It will give you the best chance at success. Always make sure to protect yourself in legal battles and negotiations with insurance companies.
