How an Attorney Can Help With Your Car Accident Claim

Being involved in an auto crash can have unpalatable permanent effects. Recurring medical bills are just one of many resultant effects. Many people are unable to work or take proper care of themselves for months because of a car accident.

In the midst of all of these uncertainties, you deserve at least to get your accident claim properly handled. How can an accident attorney help you with your car accident claim? This question is well answered by this article. See below the 5 ways an accident attorney can help you.

5 Ways an Accident Attorney can Help with Your Car Accident Claim

Investigate to Gather Pieces of Evidence

Investigating and gathering tangible pieces of evidence is very important to your car accident claim. Getting a financial settlement requires proofing the other party is liable for the accident. Establishing liability thus requires evidence of the other party’s negligence or carelessness.

An accident attorney gets information from several parties to arrive at enough facts for the case. The attorney takes pictures of the accident scene, and the cars involved and interviews any eyewitness available at the scene. Also, he or she gets a detailed report from the police and makes copies.

Any emergency response official that was at the scene is also interviewed to get appropriate insight into what ensued. To further establish what transpired, the accident attorney may speak with residents around the accident scene, speak with healthcare providers and go as far as obtaining video footage of the accident.

Communicate with the Other Party’s Insurer

Once there is enough proof of liability by the other party, the car accident attorney communicates with the insurer. Filing an insurance claim can be tiring and complex. With an experienced attorney, you will be saved a lot of stress and avoid mistakes.

Your accident attorney will initiate a discussion, more of a dialogue between you and the other party's insurer. This step will be taken after the right costs have been factored in and calculated.

Calculate the Medical Cost and Any Other Damages

Initiating communication with the other party's insurance company is preceded by this step. Your car accident attorney carefully calculates the medical cost and other important costs. This forms the basis of the insurance claim. You must seek a settlement that is commensurate with the cost incurred due to the accident.

A list of costs and damages is made by your attorney who values them. Important things to consider include, medical costs, property damage, lost income or wages, and future care expenses. The right settlement amount will be computed based on the cost of each of these factors. Other costs may be included depending on the details of your case. This is why an expert attorney is important.

Negotiates a Fair Settlement for You

Establishing communication with the other party's insurance company usually initiates a negotiation. The presence of an experienced attorney makes this easier than raising a claim as an individual. Insurance companies are known to try their best at avoiding settlements and so may frustrate your efforts.

A car accident attorney will fight the way through to arrive at a fair settlement for you. The first stage is to ensure this is achieved out of court. Once there is enough evidence, the insurer will agree to a settlement but the adjuster may bargain for a lower payment. This is where the experience of the attorney comes to play.

Files A Lawsuit and Represents You

Filing a lawsuit results when the insurance adjuster is not agreeing to a favorable settlement. This is where your attorney will do more work, first gathering the necessary paperwork. A summon will be sent to the other party to notify them of a lawsuit and a time frame for response will be issued.

The lawsuit may begin with arbitration or mediation. If the mediation goes well, a mutual settlement is agreed upon as overseen by an impartial mediator. If it goes to trial, your accident attorney will represent you in court and provide enough evidence to prove your claim.

Final Thoughts

Hiring an accident attorney is very important to get your rightful settlement after a car accident. This is especially important when the accident is clearly due to the negligence or carelessness of the other driver. It can be a challenging and tiring ordeal when the other party is not willing to corporate easily. But an experienced car accident attorney will ensure you get the right settlement.