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The year 2021 saw 39,508 people lose their lives in motor vehicle accidents. When you have roughly 40,000 casualties in a year, it’s clear that somewhere something is not working as intended.
Now, you may pat yourself on the back, saying, “I’m a safe driver. I follow all the laws. I will not be involved in accidents.” This statement is correct and wrong at the same time.
There are always chances that someone, for some reason, will ram their car into you. And when that happens, you must hire a car accident lawyer.
If you think you’ll be alright without a lawyer, we’ll give you a few reasons why you’re wrong.
You’re an Easy Target for Insurance Companies
Once you’ve reached out to an insurance company, they’ll send an agent in the form of an insurance adjuster. This adjuster will investigate the accident and calculate compensation.
The problem here is that the compensation offered is never sufficient. The insurance adjuster wants to quickly close the claim request with the lowest compensation possible. And the lack of a lawyer just makes things easier for the insurance adjuster.
Even if you reject the first offer, the insurance adjuster will negotiate hard. They will take advantage of your financial situation and convince you to accept the compensation.
You’ll Never Get Fair Compensation
Calculating compensation isn’t just sitting down with some bills and a calculator. In addition to bills, there are future costs to consider. Not to forget, calculating non-economic damages is a whole other battle. You will miss out on important expenses if you decide to calculate your losses without the help of a lawyer.
You Will Miss Deadlines
The US requires all cases to be filed within a specific time period after the accident or incident has occurred. This is called the statute of limitations. The purpose of this law is to prevent cases from dragging on and to protect the alleged at-fault party from bullying.
The problem here is that the statute of limitations varies for each state. For example, it’s three years for North Carolina, while it’s two years for Arizona. Without a lawyer, you’ll easily miss your chance to file a claim.
You Don’t Know How to File the Necessary Paperwork
Whether it’s a compensation claim or a court case, there’s lots of paperwork involved. Sure, you may refer to the internet for a sample and fill out your details. But without a lawyer, you’ll have no idea how to correctly fill them out.
All compensation claims start with a demand letter. It holds all the facts of the case and the compensation you’re expecting. Make a mistake in this, and you can bid your personal injury compensation goodbye.
You Will Have Trouble Finding the Liable Party
All compensation claims are based on liability. Sadly, finding liability isn’t straightforward. There are complexities involved in determining who the liable party is.
And if you don’t have a liable party, you cannot file a compensation claim.
You Don’t Know How to Prove Liability
If you do find the liable party, you have zero knowledge of how to prove liability. Even if you have sufficient evidence, the insurance adjuster will easily brush it off as irrelevant.
When you have a lawyer by your side, proving liability becomes easy. With the evidence in hand, they come to a meaningful conclusion on how the accident happened. They’ll also hire specialists to reconstruct the accident based on the facts and findings of the case.
You Will Be Stressed
You have injuries to tend to and bills to pay. A compensation claim on top of all this is an added hassle. Especially if you’ve suffered severe injuries, it is very difficult to run from pillar to post inquiring about the things to do to file a personal injury claim.
These issues are nonexistent when you have a personal injury lawyer by your side. They’ll occasionally contact you for details about the case and to update you on the current proceedings. You can focus on your recovery while your lawyer takes care of the claim.
Conclusion
You need a lawyer to handle your personal injury claim. You’re in for a rough ride if you think you can manage it all by yourself.
Hopefully, this article has enlightened you on why it is important to hire a lawyer. If you or a loved one is the victim of an accident, reach out to a lawyer today to find out what your options are.
