How to Know If You Should Hire an Auto Accident Lawyer

In the United States, about 4.4 million people are injured in car crashes and require medical attention in a given year. When people injured in road accidents pursue personal injury cases, about half of them are settled within 14 months or less.

On the other hand, some people never bother to pursue a personal injury case because they don’t know if they could win one or not. This is only one of the reasons people don’t always get the help of an auto accident lawyer when they should.

But how can you know if working with a car accident lawyer is the right choice for your situation? Some simple signs can help you decide if you need legal help on your side.

Read on to learn all about the top ways to know if you should hire an auto accident attorney!

1. The Other Driver Caused Your Auto Accident

As a general rule, there is a higher chance you will need auto accident lawyers to help you if the other driver was responsible for your accident.

In such cases, you might be entitled to compensation. After all, the law states that if someone causes serious damage to someone else due to their negligence, it is their responsibility to help them. But if the responsible driver does not want to help you, you may need a lawyer on your side so that you can take the issue before a court.

Of course, this applies more to serious auto accidents. If the other driver was at fault in a minor fender bender, you may not need the help of auto accident attorneys.

2. The Other Driver Blames You for Their Damages

On the other hand, if the other driver blames you for your accident, they might decide to file a lawsuit against you. In such cases, you must get the best legal help on your side that you can. Otherwise, you could be on the hook for huge amounts of money.

Some people are tempted to try to defend themselves against a lawsuit because they have such a clear picture of what happened and who is at fault. However, your certainty may not do much for your case in court. If you don’t know how to navigate the courtroom context, you could end up losing the case even if you were not responsible for the accident.

3. You Were Involved in a Complex Accident

Another sign you might need an auto accident lawyer to help you is that you were involved in a complex accident. The more parties are involved in an accident, the harder it can be to figure out who is responsible for what. Sometimes, people involved in a complicated accident give up on trying to understand who is responsible and never take the case to court.

However, courts and lawyers are used to figuring out who is responsible for damages in complicated situations. If you discuss your case with a lawyer, they might be able to tell you whether or not it might be worth pursuing a lawsuit or not.

4. You Don’t Know if You Need a Car Accident Lawyer

One of the most common signs you might need to at least speak with a car accident attorney is that you don’t know whether you should or not. Most people have only a very basic understanding of what makes for a strong case in court or not. As a result, people who have a strong case sometimes never even realize it.

If you think it is not even worth speaking to a lawyer because you probably couldn’t win your case, you should at least take the time to get an expert opinion on that. You might find out that you have an almost airtight case on your hands if you decide to hire a lawyer to help you pursue it.

On the other hand, the car accident attorney you speak with might tell you that you have little chance of winning if you decide to take your case to trial.

Although you may not be as happy to get that kind of news, it can still be clarifying and settling. Once you know what your options are, you can take the best course of action possible without having to wonder what else you might be missing out on.

Keep in mind that you can speak with an auto accident attorney about your situation even if you aren’t sure you will hire them to help you if you do decide to pursue a case. In some cases, the right strategy is to speak with a lawyer as soon as possible just to find out if you should be taking legal action at all.

If it turns out that you should be, you can then decide whether to hire the first lawyer you speak with or consider other options.

5. You Need Help With Your Insurance Company

Many people hire auto accident attorneys even though they have no intention of pursuing a lawsuit and don’t need to defend against one either. Having expert legal help on your side can be more than worth it just for the help from your insurance company.

There are two main ways an auto accident attorney can help you as you go through your insurance claim filing process.

First, they can help you with the filing process itself. They can handle the paperwork for you and make sure that you present things in the best light possible to maximize the chance that your insurance company will help you.

The second way a lawyer can help you with your insurance company is by maximizing the chance that they fulfill their obligations. Some insurance companies have tried to avoid helping customers in the past. They sometimes get away with this because customers don’t know their exact rights or how to fight for them.

In contrast, with a lawyer on your side, you will know how to challenge the decision of your insurance company. Once they know that you have expert legal help, they will likely help you as much as they are obligated to.

6. You Want to File a Lawsuit

You might already know that you would like to pursue a lawsuit. If you are sure that the other party is responsible and that you have suffered serious damages. As a result, going to court might be the only way you can get the compensation you need to recover.

If you are already sure about this, it can be tempting to rely on that certainty to help you win your lawsuit in court. However, what do you think will happen if you represent yourself and the other party hires a lawyer to help them? Many people are dismayed to find out how hard it is to win a case in court without experienced legal help.

If you do want to pursue a lawsuit, you will need a lawyer to help you in court as well as during the filing process. If you are not careful, you can make mistakes while filing a lawsuit that can delay your case or have it dismissed. Even if that doesn’t happen, incautious preparation might weaken your case.

7. You Need Help Preparing for Your Day in Court

If your day in court is approaching, there is a lot you need to do and not do in the meantime. Some people waste this time or make mistakes that ruin their chances of winning before they even get into the courtroom. This often happens because people don’t even know what kind of mistakes can weaken their legal case.

If you say the wrong thing to the other party in an accident, you might destroy any chance of winning your case without even realizing it. With an auto accident lawyer helping you, you will know exactly what mistakes to avoid.

On top of that, you can start preparing to present the most persuasive case possible in court.

8. You Want to Maximize Your Chance of Winning

Of course, you will need a car accident attorney if you want to have the highest chance of winning your lawsuit. For one thing, they can present the facts in the most persuasive light possible. They can also navigate the complex rules of the courtroom with ease.

The end result is that there is a much higher chance you will win your case. However, there’s also a higher chance you will receive more compensation. That can make hiring a lawyer an investment that pays for itself many times over.

Know When to Hire an Auto Accident Lawyer

We hope learning about the signs you need an auto accident lawyer on your side has been helpful. When you find yourself in a difficult legal situation, finding expert legal help can be a necessity to take care of your interests. The right lawyer can help you make savvy decisions that may help you win compensation to help you recover from your accident.

To learn more about how Sweet Lawyers can help you navigate your auto accident situation, get in touch with us here at any time!