According to the latest data from the National Safety Council (NSC), about 4.4 million people sustained serious injuries from car accidents, while another 38,800 lost their lives in 2019. Car accidents are not only tough to deal with, but they are also costly to manage.
However, the law allows car accident victims to seek compensation for the damages to their property, injuries, loss of income or wages, loss of loved ones, pain, and suffering. This is regardless of whether they are partly to blame for the accident.
After a severe car accident, victims may have to take time away from work, go to numerous doctor’s visits, and maybe even therapy to help them get back on their feet. This is why it is important to file a claim against the at-fault party and get compensated for your expenses and losses. However, at-fault insurance companies are never ready to compensate accident victims willingly. They can offer very low settlements which might not be enough to cover a victim’s losses.
Therefore, if you have been in an accident and you do not know how to file a claim for a car accident, you should consider hiring an experienced car accident lawyer to take you through the process and handle it for you as you concentrate on your recovery. Here is how a car accident attorney can help you with your claim.
Gather Evidence and Prove Liability
To get compensated, you will have to prove that the driver is liable for the accident. This involves gathering witness statements, taking pictures of the scene, police reports, investigations, and more.
Lawyers know how to quickly and professionally get all the evidence they need to prove fault. They can hire trained investigators to look at the scene and reports and ensure that they have sufficient evidence. They will use their experience and expertise to obtain evidence of negligence, damages, and injuries and use them to calculate and negotiate your settlement.
Communicate with the Insurance Company
After an accident, your lawyer will communicate with the at-fault insurer, their adjuster, or other parties involved. They will look at your case, conduct investigations, calculate your damages, and more. Insurance companies deal with several claims at a time; it is easy for them to forget to process some on time.
A lawyer will remind them to handle your claim and also negotiate a fair settlement with them. Without an attorney, your claim can take too long to be processed, and it will be impossible to know if the settlement is fair.
Negotiate Your Settlement
There are several damages that car accident victims can claim. These include lost wages, hospital bills, aftercare services, pain and suffering, and more. While it is easy to calculate how much the at-fault insurer should compensate you for lost earnings and hospital bills, it is not easy to put a figure on pain and suffering. Lawyers and insurers use the multiplier method, which may not be familiar to a layman. To ensure you get rightfully compensated for all the damages you have suffered including the damages to your property, you should hire a car accident attorney.
Represent You in Court
If you and the insurer cannot settle the claim, you will need to file a lawsuit against the insurance company and go to court. Though many car accident claims do not make it to trial, it is important to have an attorney walk the journey with you and also represent you in court if it comes to that.
Allow a Car Accident Attorney to Handle Your Claim
In a car accident claim, every dollar counts. If you have suffered a loss due to negligence from a car accident, it is only right that you get compensated for it. Hire a car accident attorney to handle the claims process on your behalf. A lawyer will ensure that you do not make any mistakes that can harm your claim and get you a fair settlement.