If you’ve been in a car wreck, especially one that caused damage or personal injury, one of the first things you should do after the incident is to get an honest assessment from a lawyer. Even if you think the accident wasn’t serious enough to warrant an attorney, skipping this important step could cause you to forfeit your right to helpful compensation. A good personal injury attorney should be able to tell you fairly quickly whether you have a viable case.
What’s so important about having your case evaluated by an attorney? Consider the following.
The accident might not be your fault
Sometimes people avoid consulting an attorney after a car wreck because they believe they caused it due to some sort of error on their part — or that they aren’t sure they can prove the other party was at fault, either. The problem is this: Figuring out who is at fault is not actually your job. There are many factors that go into an accident, and it is the job of police and insurance investigators to unravel what happened, and in what order. You might have indeed made a mistake behind the wheel, but believe it or not, it might not have been a contributing factor in the accident itself, which means you could still be legally eligible for compensation. Don’t assume the wreck was your fault, or that you’re disqualified from a settlement—consult with an attorney and find out for sure.
Your injuries might be more serious than you thought
Sometimes people walk away from a collision thinking they weren’t injured, only to discover later that they have nagging headaches, neck stiffness, internal bleeding or other symptoms that didn’t show up until sometimes several days later. In the meantime, the other party’s insurance company might be trying to rush them into taking a settlement offer that is well below what their medical expenses would be. If you take the settlement without consulting an attorney, you could be forfeiting thousands of dollars that could cover your medical costs and any lost wages.
A quick caveat
When we tell you to get an honest assessment from a lawyer, the operative word is “honest.” Some attorneys unfortunately milk their clients with expensive billed hours on cases they know they will lose. The best way to receive an honest evaluation is to consult with an attorney who offers a free case evaluation and doesn’t get paid unless you do. Lawyers who operate in this manner have nothing to gain by pursuing a frivolous case, so they will tell you honestly whether you have a legitimate reason to hire them.
At Sutton Slover, our clients’ trust is paramount, which is why we evaluate each case for free and don’t get paid until the client recovers. If you’ve been in a car wreck and need an honest assessment from a personal injury lawyer, call us today at 404.768.0292.