Do Auto Accident Victims Need to Hire an Attorney?

Imagine being involved in an auto accident through no fault of your own. You find that your car is destroyed, and your entire body is in pain. The person who hit you apologizes profusely and says “it was all my fault.” Later that day you receive a phone call from that person’s insurance company. The adjuster on the phone asks you how you are feeling and says they will “take care of you.” You see your doctor, who refers you to a chiropractor to take care of your back injuries. You finish your treatment four months later and the bills total about $5,000.00. You call the insurance company and send them all of your bills. The adjuster calls back and all of a sudden starts telling you that you went to the doctor for too long, the bills are too high and you were not that injured. They offer you $1,000.00 to settle the claim and will not give you a penny more. The end result of being a victim now means that you have to pay money out of your pocket to take care of your bills.

In order to avoid this unfortunate result, a victim should always hire a personal injury attorney. Hiring an attorney will level the playing field against the big insurance companies. An insurance adjuster’s goal is to pay you as little money as possible so because they work for a business. As such, they will belittle your claim and try to force you to take as little money as possible. Since personal injury attorneys have experience with these companies, they will be able to help you through the process by helping you obtain the doctors you need to treat your injuries and the settlement you deserve for having to deal with those injuries. Studies have shown that victims that have attorneys on their side obtain settlements three to four times higher than victims who represent themselves. Attorneys will also be able to advice you about getting your car fixed correctly and in a timely manner, to obtain a rental car while your car gets fixed, to find doctors who are willing to work on a lien and only get paid from the settlement proceeds. The most important thing to remember is that most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency basis, so if you do not win your case, you will not have to pay for their services. Also, most attorneys do not require you to pay any fees up front. Hiring an attorney is truly a win-win situation for a victim. Insurance companies only care about their bottom line, so hire a personal injury attorney and get the settlement that you truly deserve.