Have you been in a car accident? If so, you might be wondering when it’s time to reach out to a personal injury lawyer – and when it’s not.
Here are some situations where you likely do not need to involve an injury lawyer:
- You were the at-fault driver. If the collision was caused by your actions, you (or your insurance company) will be on the hook to pay for the victim’s damages, such as their medical bills and car repairs. However, if there is a dispute about who’s at fault, or if both drivers are somewhat at fault, it might not hurt to give a lawyer a call just to see.
- You only had property damage. In general, injury attorneys won’t handle property damage claims. These are generally pretty straightforward to work out with the insurance company. Please note that a property damage claim is separate from an injury claim. Injury lawyers tend to deal solely with injury claims.
- Your injuries were minimal. Suppose you felt sore for a few days after your accident, but you didn’t need much medical care, if any. You didn’t need to take time off work, and you were able to go on your family vacation as planned. In this situation, your injury claim is likely to be small. You should be able to negotiate this on your own. Many lawyers may be unwilling to take on the work involved with a case if the settlement is likely to be small.
- There is no insurance policy in place. Suppose that neither you nor the driver that hit you are insured. If there is no policy in place to obtain a settlement from, there is likely little an attorney can do. Of course, you can always ask a lawyer to see if there’s anything you might have missed.
Finally, we want to emphasize that every car accident is unique. There are different circumstances, injuries, and insurance policies. Never hesitate to call a personal injury lawyer if you aren’t sure. There’s never a cost or obligation to speak with a lawyer from our team. If we can’t help you – we’ll be honest. And if we can? You’ll only pay a fee if we’re able to win you a settlement.
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