How a Car Accident Attorney Helps
Being in a car accident can leave you feeling lost, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to pick up the pieces. Your world is suddenly turned upside down – you’re trying to handle injuries, vehicle repairs, insurance claims, lost wages, and more. It’s enough to make anyone feel helpless.
That's why working with an experienced car accident attorney can provide the guidance you need during this difficult time. Keep reading to understand exactly what a knowledgeable car accident lawyer can do for you that you may struggle to do on your own.
Our team of personal injury attorneys are resourceful, experienced, and knowledgeable regarding your rights. To learn more about how we can help you, call Altizer Law today at 540.345.2000.
Handle Communications With Insurance Companies
Insurance companies have teams of attorneys well-versed in limiting payouts to accident victims. Without your own legal representation, you may fall victim to tactics meant to minimize or deny your claim.
A skilled car accident attorney levels the playing field by acting as an intermediary between you and insurers. They know which questions to ask, which documents to request, and how to effectively negotiate a fair settlement. With an attorney handling communications, you can focus on healing rather than fighting with insurance adjusters.
Determine Liability and Establish Fault
As an untrained civilian, the legal intricacies of determining fault and liability after a crash can sail over your head. Complex factors like:
Traffic signals
Signage
Lane markings
Right of way
Visual obstructions
Road conditions
And more
All influence who the courts find at-fault and to what extent.
An accomplished car accident lawyer will launch a thorough investigation using police reports, accounts from witnesses, photographic evidence from the scene, and more to build a compelling argument for the other driver’s fault. Their legal experience and impartial perspective are invaluable for establishing liability.
Assess Damages and Losses
In the wake of a collision, calculating current and future accident-related expenses can feel utterly overwhelming. An experienced car accident attorney has the know-how to help.
They will gather and examine documents related to your:
Vehicle damage
Medical treatment
Lost income
Loss of earning capacity
Pain and suffering
Disability
Disfigurement
Emotional distress
And beyond just tallying your tangible losses, a car accident lawyer understands how to calculate hard-to-quantify damages like pain and suffering. They leverage your unique situation against legal precedent and standards to demand appropriate compensation.
Navigate Legal Proceedings
If negotiating with insurers fails to deliver satisfactory claim settlements, a car accident attorney can take the case to court. They will handle all aspects of building your argument, filing paperwork, gathering evidence, researching case law, and representing you in front of a judge and jury.
Without legal guidance, launching and seeing a court case through to completion requires extensive knowledge and experience. A Virginia accident attorney acts as your guide so you can focus on recovery rather than tackling complex legal procedures.
Help You Prioritize Health and Healing
In the direct aftermath of a serious auto collision, focusing on anything other than urgent medical care feels impossible. Yet there are crucial legal deadlines and documents that demand attention during this fragile period.
A car accident lawyer lifts those burdens so you can concentrate wholly on treatment and recovery. They initiate filings, collect evidence, interface with insurers, and tend to pressing legal matters so health remains your priority.
Provide an Objective Perspective
When you’re the victim in a devastating car crash, it can be challenging to assess the situation objectively. Intense emotions like anger, betrayal, fear, and panic often cloud judgement.
Seasoned car accident attorneys offer an impartial point of view. Their emotional distance and legal experience help identify the best pathways toward maximum compensation and swiftest resolution. With support from your attorney, cases settle more readily, delivering the resources you require to move forward.
What Damages Can a Car Accident Attorney Help Recover?
Compensation for medical bills – Both current expenses and estimated costs for future treatment stemming from crash-related injuries.
Reimbursement for property losses – Repair or replacement costs for your vehicle, clothing, medical equipment, and other personal property damaged in the collision.
Lost income reimbursements – Wages lost due to any missed work for treatment, recovery, or disability resulting from the accident.
Loss of future earnings – If injuries diminish your long-term ability to maintain employment at the same level, Calculate and demand restitution for diminished future income.
Pain and suffering restitution – Though more difficult to quantify, your physical pain, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment, and struggles with daily life warrant financial compensation.
Wrongful death damages – Surviving family members deserve compensation for losing their loved one. Common claims include loss of financial support, companionship, inheritance, guidance to children and grief counseling costs.
How Does Fault Impact My Claim?
Virginia follows modified comparative negligence rules. This means that even victims who were partially at-fault (up to 50%) can still recover accident-related damages. Their compensation, however, gets reduced by their percentage of fault.
For instance, Driver A runs a red light and t-bones Driver B who was distracted by their phone and didn’t notice their light turned green. The court finds Driver A 80% at fault since they ran the light. Yet they assign Driver B 20% liability for failure to pay attention to the road.
Driver B can still pursue damages against Driver A’s insurance. Yet their final settlement gets reduced by 20% due to their partial negligence. Having a car accident attorney demonstrate how your actions did or didn’t cause the collision can be instrumental in securing the maximum payout the law allows.
How Soon Should I Speak to A Car Accident Attorney?
Ideally, consulting an attorney shortly after the accident produces optimal results. Witness recollections fade, CCTV footage gets overwritten, and evidence gets lost over time.
Early attorney involvement also prevents insurance companies from taking recorded statements that inadvertently admit partial fault, jeopardizing your claim. Finally, beginning the claims process quickly helps you access compensation sooner to cover mounting bills.
In Virginia, the statutes of limitations for insurance claims and personal injury lawsuits generally fall between 2 to 6 years depending on specifics of the incident. Yet by delaying legal consultation, you still risk relinquishing your maximum allowable damages.
Have You Fully Assessed All Your Options?
In the disorienting aftermath of catastrophe, it becomes all too easy to lose sight of viable solutions to emerging troubles. Yet just because a pathway to resolution eludes your gaze now does not signify viable options cease to exist. Instead of resigning yourself to turmoil, seek out professionals like personal injury attorneys to illuminate routes toward recompense you may have otherwise overlooked.
FAQs:
1. Should I provide a recorded statement to insurance companies following an accident?
Refrain from giving recorded statements until first discussing the incident with your attorney. They can guide you on what details to provide while avoiding accidentally admitting partial fault. Damaging admissions could enable insurers to either deny or decrease the settlement you receive.
2. How much does hiring a car accident attorney cost?
Most personal injury attorneys work on contingency, meaning legal fees only apply if they successfully secure you compensation. Contingency fees typically range from 33% to 40% of your final settlement amount. Costs for testimony, evidence gathering, and court fees do get deducted from payouts first.
3. Can a car accident attorney help me even if the crash was partially my fault?
Yes, comparative negligence laws in Virginia allow for partial financial recovery by victims deemed up to 50% at fault. Your attorney's investigation into fault percentage and total damages could still garner compensation to cover a portion of your losses.
4. Am I required to accept the first settlement offer from insurers?
No, unless you specifically signed a release accepting that amount, insurance companies generally start with unreasonably low opening offers. Your attorney can help negotiate a deal more aligned with the value of your losses and suffering. If talks reach an impasse, they can also take legal action to pursue your rightful claim value.
5. How long do car accident claims typically take to resolve?
Each auto injury claim involves unique aspects impacting timeframes. Simple cases with clear liability and limited damages may wrap up within a few months. Yet catastrophic collisions involving long-term disabilities and loss of earnings may take years to fully quantify losses and demanding fitting recompense. An attorney helps expedite resolutions wherever possible.
Selecting a Car Accident Attorney in Virginia
The journey following an auto collision need not be embarked upon alone. Skilled legal counsel awaits those who seek out car accident attorneys' wisdom and guidance. Their involvement can pave the way toward swifter justice and fuller restoration of stability for crash victims. If you or a loved one suffered harm due to another's negligent actions behind the wheel, contact an attorney today to discuss your options for rightful repurchase.
Our team of personal injury attorneys are resourceful, experienced, and knowledgeable regarding your rights. To learn more about how we can help you, call Altizer Law today at 540.345.2000.
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