It Depends on Your Injuries
One of the questions I see a lot is when should you hire an attorney after a car wreck? The answer to this question is, it depends. Initially, it depends upon whether you were injured in the collision or not. If you weren’t injured and you are just dealing with damage to your car, there’s a good likelihood that you won’t need an attorney and you can deal with the other driver’s insurance company on your own. On the other hand, it’s very common that people who get injured in car wrecks have a very difficult time dealing with all of the different demands upon their attention. You have to get medical care so you have to see your doctor, your doctor is likely going to send you for physical therapy, or you may be seeing a chiropractor, and either way, they are going to want chunks of your time (often initial treatment regimens are 3 times per week at first). Then there is just dealing with your normal every day life such as going to work, taking care of your kids and taking care of yourself. This is all time consuming and it can be overwhelming. Then, to top it off, you start getting calls from your insurance company and/or the responsible party’s insurance company and it can feel like you have no control at all in this process. It can feel like you are about to be run over by the system and often times people are scared and don’t know what to do. This is a circumstance where you should be reaching out to talk to an attorney about your claim so that you can be advised what your rights are and you can get an understanding of how claims proceed. Our office does initial consultations at no charge and often I can help folks figure out if they need an attorney or if its something that they can probably handle themselves so there’s no downside to reaching out.
If You’ve Been Seriously Injured, Contact Us Immediately
If you have been seriously injured in a car wreck, you or a family member should be reaching out to our offices immediately. The reason for this is that sometimes the early stages of a claim can be crucial. There may be the need to have evidence preserved such as the black box in the other driver’s car (or your car), witnesses may need to be contacted while it’s still fresh in their minds, and of course, we can begin the process of dealing with the insurance companies so that you don’t have to. One of the best parts about being represented in these situations for our clients is that once we have notified the insurance company that we represent you, the adjusters won’t be making calls to you for updates or to get information from you. In fact, once they are aware we are involved, they are disallowed from communicating with you except through us (though usually property adjusters will communicate with clients about the repairs to cars because they are required to work quickly to resolve property loss). So really, what it comes down to is if you have been injured in a wreck and aren’t sure what to do or what to expect, it’s time to contact us so you can focus on getting your life back.
Dealing with Insurance Companies Can Be Intimidating. We are Here to Help
I’ve had a lot of clients tell me they hired our firm because they felt intimidated by the process and overwhelmed by everything they have to do just to take care of themselves. Then you get that call from the other driver’s insurance company and the adjuster starts asking questions in a way that makes you feel like you were the one at fault, it becomes clear that they are not there to help you, they are there to save the company money. It feels like you, who didn’t do anything wrong, is having your actions questioned and doubted at every step along the way. In terms of deciding when you want to hire an attorney, if this is how you are feeling, the time is now for you to be reaching out to us for help. I always tell my clients that their job is to get medical care to heal their bodies and get their lives back. My job is to deal with the insurance companies so that they can focus exclusively on healing.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, call our office at 719-633-6620 for a free consultation.