Current statistics indicate that most drivers in the state of California will be involved in at least two or three auto accidents during the driving years.
While this may not sound like a lot overall, you can be sure that every accident you are involved in will leave a permanent memory and a strong desire never to go through that again.
As well, not every car accident will require the assistance of a car accident personal injury lawyer to successfully resolve. Every day here at West Coast Trial Lawyers, we receive calls from people who have never worked with an attorney before, let alone a traffic law attorney.
So we know it can feel overwhelming to try to figure out when it is the right time to reach out for legal help. How can an attorney help in a car accident injury situation? Read on to find out!
The Number One Way a Personal Injury Lawyer in Los Angeles Can Help You
When the car accident you experienced caused injuries, whether to yourself or another person, it is vital not to wait to contact a reputable car accident personal injury lawyer.
If the car accident including a fatality, you should not talk to anyone else – even the police or the other driver(s) – until you consult with your attorney.
But how exactly can a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles help you expedite the process of resolving your car accident claim so you can get on with your life?
The number one way that an experienced traffic law attorney can help is by reviewing your case to date and giving you an accurate estimate of its value. Otherwise, how will you know whether the claims payouts your insurer (or the other party’s insurer) are offering you are fair or not?
In many cases, insurance companies try to lowball unaware drivers, counting on their inexperience, the injuries they may be dealing with and/or the disruption the accident itself caused to make them jump at any funds offered.
You may be leaving hundreds, thousands or even more on the table by accepting an offer just because you want to get your case resolved and over with.
Any legitimate, trustworthy auto accident attorney will always provide you with a free initial consultation. This is your time to sit down face to face and discuss the details of your auto accident claim and find out what your case may be worth to you.
With an experienced, knowledgeable legal professional on your team, your case will move faster rather than slower so you can actually get back to your life and put the accident behind you.
5 Key Areas Your Car Accident Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help With
Here are five key areas our team here at West Coast Trial Lawyers can help with to expedite your claims processing and get your case resolved quickly and effectively.
1. Verify the accident itself was not your fault.
California is a “fault” state when it comes to settling car insurance claims. This makes California unlike most other states in the nation. It also means California can be a difficult state to deal with when you have had an auto accident.
Because the insurance company of the driver declared at fault is responsible for bearing the brunt of payouts in any auto accident, you can bet each provider’s insurance adjuster will be working very hard to verify that their driver was not at fault.
This can cause lengthy delays in the insurance payout process itself and even cause your insurer to withhold benefits you are entitled to receive immediately under your policy regardless of who is at fault.
Sometimes the fault is erroneously assigned because there are inaccuracies on the official police report or because the adjuster doesn’t take the time to examine the automobile repairs estimates in detail to notice there is a factory defect or driver maintenance negligence that caused the error.
Without a knowledgeable resource to examine all of the evidence in detail, you may find you are being declared at fault even if the accident was not your fault.
2. Communicate with the insurance adjusters on your behalf.
The truth is, being involved in an auto accident is just one stress after another. The stress is magnified when you have been hurt and are now trying to recover and get your life on track.
Having to face down a team of seasoned legal experts hired by an insurance provider worth millions or billions of dollars is not a recipe for speedy healing or quick resolution. You never want to do this alone.
In fact, you don’t want to do this at all – you want to hire your own legal team who will not be intimidated because they do this kind of thing every day.
3. Gather up every scrap of medical evidence and scrutinize it.
Any serious auto accident in California, and especially an accident that caused injuries, generates more paperwork, communications and follow-up tasks than any one person can do on their own.
Just compiling your treatment and medical records in itself can be a full-time job, and that doesn’t include checking those records for accuracy, requesting updated records as your treatment continues, following up when those requests are not fulfilled and more.
4. Negotiate your insurance settlement payout so it is fair.
Most car accident victims have no idea that they have the ability and the right to negotiate with their insurer as regards the payout they are offered. You can get the insurance providers to know this.
Just because you have been diligently paying your premiums in full and on time does not mean your insurer is going to open up their pockets when you need your benefits.
Often it takes an attorney to force insurance companies to do the right thing by their clients.
5. Ensure your driving rights are not limited due to the accident.
If for some reason you are declared partially or fully at fault for the accident and this cannot be reversed, you may be denied the right to drive, have your license revoked or be assigned limited driving privileges. You may also be reclassified as a high-risk driver, which comes with difficult and exorbitant auto insurance terms.
A knowledge traffic law attorney can be an invaluable resource here to safeguard your driving rights and future auto insurance costs by reviewing all the facts of the case again.
Contact West Coast Trial Lawyers for Help
Have you been involved in an auto accident? Is your claims process dragging on and on with no end in sight? Were you injured as a result of actions taken by another driver? Have you tried everything you can think of and still your claim is not getting resolved?
We may be able to help. Your first consultation is always free. California traffic law is one of the strictest in the nation and often it takes legal counsel to resolve auto accident claims. Tell us what happened and let’s see if we can get your claim back on track and resolve quickly.
