You’ve been injured in an auto accident. Your injuries heal but your stack of medical bills continues to grow. You know that you need compensation, but you keep putting off the idea of hiring a personal injury lawyer.
It’s perfectly normal to be anxious about hiring an attorney. Movies and television portray lawyers in a bad light. Maybe you had a bad experience with a lawyer in the past. But handling your car accident case on your own could be a serious, costly mistake. Here are the top 5 reasons to hire an Alabama personal injury attorney after a car accident.
Reason #1 – Lawyers know the law and the legal system
In the movies and on television, a lawyer stands up, makes a passionate speech, and wins the case. Lots of people think that they can do the same. In reality, only about two percent of personal injury cases go to trial. This means that 98 percent of a lawyer’s time is spent researching personal injury law and writing letters, briefs, and other legal documents. Knowing how to write in a way that can persuade judges is a skill that is rarely found outside of the legal profession.
Lawyers research to answer the important legal questions that arise in a personal injury case, such as
- In which court should this case be filed?
- Which claims should we pursue?
- How much is this case worth?
- What’s the deadline to file this case?
- Who was at fault?
- Who is the best defendant in this case?
In addition to legal matters, Birmingham personal injury attorneys also have informal knowledge about important things. They know how judges think. They know how to increase the chances of a favorable jury verdict. This knowledge alone is worth its weight in gold.
Reason #2 – A lawyer can protect you
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you probably deserve compensation. However, those responsible for giving you that compensation are not going to do so willingly. It will be a fight. A Birmingham personal injury lawyer can protect you in this fight. For example, insurance companies work hard to pay as little as possible. A skilled Alabama personal injury lawyer will tell you how to talk to the insurance company in a way that won’t hurt your case. Your car accident lawyer will also protect you from yourself by telling you about the simple things – such as posting on social media – that can hurt your case.
Best of all, hiring a personal injury attorney protects you from the stress of a car accident case. If someone tries to bother you with questions, you can simply say, “Please speak to my lawyer,” and peacefully go on with your day.
Reason #3 – Lawyers level the playing field
One of the best reasons to hire an Alabama personal injury attorney after a car accident is to make things fair. The other driver will probably have a lawyer. The insurance companies will definitely have lawyers. (In fact, they usually have an entire legal team devoted to fighting accident claims.) In a trucking accident, the truck driver, the truck owner, the trucking company, and other agencies will “lawyer up.” If everyone else has legal counsel and you don’t, your odds of success are slim. You can turn the odds back in your favor by hiring a Birmingham personal injury attorney.
Reason #4 – Lawyers look deeper
Another driver hit you. You think your case seems simple. But what if you seem fine at first but additional injuries show up weeks or months after the car accident? What if the car accident aggravated an old back injury? You learn that the other driver only hit you because their car had a defect. What then? What if the road should have been repaired months before the accident? A personal injury claim that looks simple on the surface can turn out to be pretty complex. Birmingham personal injury attorneys are used to dealing with these tough issues. You’ll appreciate having an experienced car crash attorney on your side if things get complicated.
Reason #5 – Lawyers can increase your damages
Personal injury cases can present many issues, but usually they are about helping injured people get the compensation they deserve. Settlements and damage awards are probably where hiring a personal injury lawyer makes the biggest difference.
Recently, experts studied the difference in outcomes between people representing themselves after a car accident and those who hired attorneys. The study found that those representing themselves received an average settlement of $17,600. The average settlement for those who hired attorneys was $77,600. A personal injury attorney is essential to getting you a fair outcome in your personal injury claim. Of all the reasons to hire an Alabama personal injury attorney after a car accident, this one is probably the most important.
Do you need to hire an Alabama personal injury attorney?
If you’ve been injured in an auto accident, hiring a personal injury lawyer is your best chance to get compensation. If you’ve been hurt, contact Collins Law, LLC. Attorney April H. Collins is a Birmingham personal injury attorney who specializes in car accidents, trucking accidents, motorcycle accidents, and other vehicle collisions. Attorney Collins and her team will work hard to get you the compensation you deserve. Click here or call (205) 881-0403 to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation.