The hours and days immediately after an auto wreck are often some of the most stressful you will face, especially when serious injuries are involved. You will be juggling calls with insurance, doctors, auto repair shops, supervisors at work, and of course worried friends and family. It’s a LOT. So the last thing you may want to do is add a lawyer into the mix as well.
You might also be worried about the cost of a lawyer, or how you might be perceived if people knew you were thinking about filing a personal injury lawsuit. It is not a sign of weakness to demand fairness. Hiring a personal injury lawyer when you have been hurt through no fault of your own is not shameful, it’s more accessible financially than you think, and furthermore, it is the right thing to do. It is often the only way to hold negligent people accountable for the harm they cause while allowing innocent victims to get the help they need to recover.
If you have been injured, don’t put off calling a lawyer until the last minute. You need to know your options before making decisions. Once you have a legal team working on your side, you will wish you had done it sooner.
4 Reasons to Call a Lawyer Sooner Rather than Later
There are several reasons why getting a lawyer on your side from day one can make a big difference in your injury claim. Let us look at four of the most common reasons injury victims may want a lawyer after an auto wreck:
- Because Evidence Gets Lost Quickly
The very best time to collect evidence after a car crash is while you are still at the scene. After you leave, debris is cleared away so that traffic can keep moving, and witnesses get on with their days. That’s how quickly evidence disappears, and why it’s so important to get the contact information of witnesses and photos of the damage and crash scene while you’re there.
If you have suffered in a fall, the time frame to pursue evidence may be even shorter, since the establishment will probably delete any film.
But it’s not always possible to collect evidence at the scene, especially if you were severely injured or the at-fault party is uncooperative. A lawyer can help collect evidence supporting your claim even after you’ve left the scene, from property damage and medical records to tracking down witnesses and video evidence. But the less time between the injury and when they start to collect evidence, the better.
- To Protect Yourself Against Insurance Adjusters Who Aren’t Acting in Your Best Interests
You will need to speak with the insurance company to set up the claim, both the at-fault driver’s and your own, very soon after the crash, usually within a matter of hours or days. And they will try to get you on record making a statement that could hurt your claim, or try to rush you into accepting a settlement that doesn’t cover all your needs post-crash. The best way to deal with insurance company traps is to refer them to your lawyer for all communication. They won’t let you take a statement from their side—why should you do it for the other counsel?
Related Reading: What Happens If I Didn’t Call My Insurance Right Away After a Crash?
- To Get Advice on All Things Post-Injury
An experienced attorney will have helped many others go through what you’re going through now, and can offer advice on the best way to proceed while protecting your rights to compensation, from referring you to medical specialists to helping you avoid easily preventable mistakes, like posting on social media about your injury, that could affect your claim.
- There’s a Time Limit You Can’t Go Over
The statute of limitations for personal injury claims in both Georgia and Alabama is two years from the date of the accident. But if you fail to file a lawsuit in that time, maybe because you didn’t realize how much your crash was going to cost you in medical bills, property damage, and other expenses, or because you spent too long trying to negotiate with an antagonistic insurance company, then you may lose your legal right to do so.
Related Reading: Is It Too Late to File a Personal Injury Claim?
When You Need a Lawyer, Get Gary Bruce
The people of Columbus, Ft Moore (formerly Ft Benning), and Phenix City trust the Law Offices of Gary Bruce to get them the compensation they need after crashes when insurance companies try to reduce or deny valid claims. They know that our firm cares about our community and the way that negligent drivers’ actions harm them. And they know we’ll work hard to ensure they get all the money they are entitled to.
Not sure whether you need a lawyer? Don’t worry, your consultation is always free, with no obligation to hire. Contact us today to speak to a lawyer.