When to Get a Lawyer for a Car Accident in North Carolina
After a car accident, concerns about serious injuries, car damage, car and medical insurance, and the long-term consequences of minor injuries can be overwhelming.
When should you speak with a car accident lawyer?
Immediately. From ensuring you get appropriate medical care to preserving evidence, interviewing witnesses and investigators, and building a strong case to present to the insurance company, an experienced car accident lawyer’s job is to protect your legal rights.
An experienced car accident lawyer improves your chances of reaching a settlement that will cover all damages, including immediate and future medical bills related to the accident, lost wages due to days missed at work following the accident, and the pain and suffering you had to endure because of another driver’s negligence.
This article explores the many things that an experienced car accident lawyer helps with, including when:
- There are serious or minor injuries
- Negotiations with the insurance companies are stalling or failing
- Fault for the accident is in dispute
A Car Accident Lawyer is Needed When There are Injuries
If you experience any type of car accident injury, you need a lawyer immediately. It’s that straightforward. You’ll want an experienced attorney on your side, whether your medical claims are large or small.
Serious injuries might include a herniated disc or a broken bone, but even soft tissue injuries such as a sprain or strain can worsen over time. Whether a broken bone or soft tissue, injuries from a car accident injury will not only prevent you from being able to work, they also cause a lot of physical pain and keep you from doing the things you love.
When accident injuries result in medical bills, an insurance adjuster may request an independent medical exam and other evidence to support the claims.
If you accept a personal injury settlement, the insurance company will seek a condition that you promise not to sue them or the driver they are representing. You never want to accept a settlement on your own. An experienced car accident lawyer knows how to negotiate with insurance companies and get them to pay what they should.
You have one chance to get it right. Having an experienced team of car accident lawyers and staff on your side will ensure you get what you deserve.
A Lawyer is Needed when Negotiations with Insurance Companies are Stalling or Failing
Negotiating a settlement is hard. There is a particular way to work with insurance adjusters that only experienced lawyers have. They know what to share and how to talk to the insurance company. An experienced car accident lawyer knows how to prepare the evidence and present it to the insurance company to maximize the value of your case. Insurance companies know what a good offer looks like, and an experienced car accident lawyer knows how to deliver it.
You do not want to settle for less than what your claim is worth. An experienced car accident lawyer can ensure you will not have to. Sometimes just the credible threat of a car accident lawsuit from an experienced car accident lawyer is enough to bring an insurance adjuster to the negotiating table and to the settlement you deserve.
Even factoring in an experienced car accident lawyer’s fee, the compensation the lawyer will get for you is better than accepting a lowball settlement offer from an insurance company.
An Attorney Can Help when Fault for a Car Accident is in Dispute
You may have no doubt that the other driver caused the accident. That being said, the other driver’s story, witnesses, the accident report, incomplete medical records, and other variables can lead an insurance company to deny your claim.
Hiring a lawyer can be a difference-maker, whether that means presenting your case with a convincing settlement demand to the insurance companies or winning or losing your case in court, especially if your case goes to trial.
What if the other driver admits fault? Can I settle the claim without a lawyer?
North Carolina is also one of just a very few states that follow a rule known as “Strict Contributory Negligence.” This means that if a judge or jury were to find that you were even slightly “at fault” (even 1%), then your recovery is zero dollars.
Insurance adjusters may try to tell you that they will not pay for your car accident injuries because you were “contributorily negligent.” You should never take at face value what an insurance adjuster is telling you. An Adjuster is an employee of the insurance company. Talking to an experienced car accident lawyer provides oversight on what the adjuster is telling you and how to learn what is possible to best support your case. You may really be surprised by what an experienced team of personal injury lawyers can do for you!
Accident claims often do not go smoothly or resolve as they should, even in cases where everyone agrees who was at fault. And sometimes the other driver is uninsured or underinsured. A lawyer can help protect your rights in all of these situations.
Remember, lawyers have spent years studying the law and the rules of court before they ever step into a courtroom. Experience matters. If the person you are suing has a lawyer, you need one on your side, too. If you are being sued, you want the best representation.
Choose an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer
Choosing the right car accident or injury lawyer will make a difference in the time it takes to resolve your claims or your case and the amount of damages you receive.
The car accident lawyers and our team of talented staff at Wilson, Reives, Silverman & Doran are here to provide you with trusted, effective, and experienced legal counsel. We’re ready to fight for you to receive the most favorable outcome in your case possible.
Call (919) 883-4728 or contact us and set up a consultation to speak with one of our experienced injury or accident lawyers about your case.