How Soon After The Accident Should I Get A Lawyer?

No one wakes up in the morning with plans to be involved in an auto accident. Even so, there will be those who end up with an injury as the result of a traffic mishap. While the priority is contacting the authorities and seeking treatment for any injuries, contacting a personal injury lawyer as quickly as possible is always a good idea. If any of the following applies, it makes sense to contact a lawyer as soon as the police are called and medical help is on the way.

Unsure About Your Rights

Not everyone understands what rights they have in relation to an auto accident. Instead of guessing or relying on others at the scene to provide advice, contacting a lawyer immediately after the event is a smart move. The attorney will take measures to ensure the rights of the client are protected by every legal means available.

The Insurance Agent is Vague

You are asking questions but not getting much in the way of answers from your insurance provider. The sense of being shunted to one side does not make you feel easy. Now is a good time to engage the services of a lawyer and route all communications with the provider through the legal counsel.

Issue About Who is at Fault

While the circumstances surrounding an accident are so obvious that there is no doubt who is at faults, others may be murky. The police will talk with everyone involved and attempt to document all relevant remarks about the incident. The information collected could clear up some of the confusion or it could make things worse. When it’s obvious that not everyone agrees about who caused the accident, engaging the services of an attorney at once is the best move.

A Serious Injury or a Death Takes Place

Even if you are not the one is injured, harm to any other party involved in the accident calls for seeking legal representation. That includes anyone who was in the vehicle with you as well as pedestrians or people traveling in the other vehicles involved. It’s not a bad idea to call a lawyer immediately after reporting the accident to the police and making sure medical help is on the way. Depending on the severity of the situation, a lawyer may advise the client to not say anything until the legal counsel can arrive at the scene and be present during any questioning that takes place.

The Other Party Wants to Settle

The other party is responsible and the insurance provider wants to settle rather than take the matter to court. While it may be tempting to accept whatever offer is on the table, it pays to hire a lawyer who can provide counsel about the offer. That means determining if the amount offered is reasonable in relation to the severity of the injuries sustained in the accident. When the offer is not acceptable, the lawyer can take on the task of negotiating with the insurance company. That includes handling all direct communications and allowing the client to focus on recovering from the event.

These are only a few examples of when contacting a lawyer after an accident makes sense. The bottom line is that if there is any aspect of the situation that causes you to feel uneasy, seeking legal advice is the right thing to do. In the best-case scenario, the lawyer can look at the evidence and determine that the matter can be settled with ease. At other times, the lawyer may feel that taking the responsible party to court is the only viable solution. Whatever the situation, having a lawyer on hand to ensure your rights protected will provide the peace of mind needed as you recover and move on with your life.