Every year in the United States, 38,000 people die as a result of car accidents, and another 4.4 million are seriously injured (Source: ASIRT). Unfortunately, car accidents are not only common, they are on the rise. However, many of those people involved in car accidents don’t understand their rights and that they are entitled to compensation for their injuries or damage to their vehicles. Many others think that hiring an attorney after a car accident isn’t worth it.
The two most common questions people ask after a car wreck are:
- Is it worth getting an attorney for a car accident?
- When should you get a lawyer for a car accident?
Yes, it’s worth it. For many serious car accidents, working with an experienced car accident lawyer can help you get your life back on track as soon as possible. Often, it’s not just dealing with getting your car repaired or replaced, but also includes long-term care for injuries or rehabilitation, arranging and scheduling transportation to appointments and work, time off of work for medical care or physical therapy, and taking care of family members. Insurance companies rarely consider these additional issues when paying out claims – but their impact on your life is significant.
Contact an attorney as soon as possible. Due to the volume of car accident claims, insurance companies want to settle cases as quickly as possible and for the least amount of money possible. By bringing in an experienced car accident attorney soon after the accident, you ensure all proper medical documentation is available and submitted, all expenses are tracked, and that the insurance company paying your claim gives you a fair settlement.
Collectively, the Coulter Harsh Law team has over 50+ years of working for insurance companies and 100+ years of experience handling insurance claims.
This is what we want car accident victims who are considering a car accident attorney to know:
Insurance companies pay more money to people who worked for insurance companies because they know how to evaluate cases.
Insurance companies aren’t in business to pay out the maximum amount in every car accident settlement. In fact, they look for ways to disqualify settlements by following strict rules and carefully evaluating cases. If forms or documentation are missing, car accident victims risk losing out on what they deserve in a settlement.
However, attorneys who have worked for insurance companies in the past know what is needed to provide the right documentation and how to establish liability in a car accident. Since people who have worked with insurance companies have an insider’s perspective on how car accident cases are evaluated, they are able to get more money paid out on car accident cases.
Insurance companies pay more money to trial attorneys because they will try a case.
Going to trial can be risky for an insurance company. If they go up against an experienced trial attorney who has argued over 150+ jury trials or gets a judge who is sympathetic to the car accident victim’s story, they could be forced to pay a settlement in the 100s of thousands or even millions. In addition to the potential settlement fee, they have to pay their own team of attorneys for all the time, travel, and resources needed to attend and argue at court.
For these reasons, insurance companies are more likely to pay out larger amounts to cases handled by trial attorneys because they don’t want to risk going to trial for a case. Working with a car accident attorney who has trial experience can greatly increase the amount of the car accident settlement.
Insurance Companies pay more money to attorneys that are personal injury specialists from the Nevada State Bar.
Achieving certification in a legal specialty requires additional training and education on topics related to that specialty. Attorneys who are certified as personal injury specialists from the Nevada State Bar have “demonstrated superior knowledge, skill, integrity, professionalism, and a high degree of competence in the field of Personal Injury.”(Source: Nevada State Bar)
This means that a personal injury specialist is among the best of the best when it comes to handling personal injury cases.
Insurance companies recognize that this certification means the attorneys know the ins and outs of personal injury law extremely well and are likely to build a strong case for their client. For these reasons, they pay out more money to certified personal injury specialists from the Nevada State Bar than they do to attorneys without this certification.
Find out more about getting your car accident case resolved. Contact our experienced car accident injury team today.
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