The simple answer is immediately. Car accidents are not only traumatizing in the moment but also dealing with insurance companies can be strenuous mentally and emotionally after an event such as that has occurred. Typically after those events, you have to file a claim with your insurance company and sometimes, if necessary file a police report. In some states, you are required to file a police report in the event of a car accident; if there is an injury or a fatality resulting from the accident, the cars cannot move from obstructing traffic or are no longer operational, or if the property damage is greater than $1,000 according to a car accident lawyer with our friends at Brandy Austin Law Firm.
In 2022 in Texas there were more than 634,000 car accidents reported. These events seem to be a normal thing in our lives and you should be well equipped to protect yourself through the use of a lawyer.
Benefits To Hiring A Car Accident Attorney:
Hiring a car accident attorney may seem more trouble than it’s worth, but that’s the farthest thing from the truth. If your accident led to you requiring medical attention or hospitalization, you’re most likely looking at exorbitant amounts of medical bills. Through legal representation their job is to work to provide you with compensation from insurance companies to take that burden off your shoulders.
Often times than not, when people decide to seek compensation for damages and medical bills, unrepresented this can lead to them not getting a fair amount that truly reflects the amount of damages to your vehicle, self, and future damages. The role of insurance companies when dealing with car accidents is often to give you the least amount of money possible, to basically settle with as little money as possible. Car accident attorneys will also take into account any wages you could possibly lose as a result of the car accident.
After your car accident, the best thing you could do is hire a lawyer to represent you while you focus on a speedy recovery. Your lawyer’s main focus would be to prepare a case for you to have a strong claim and help determine and prove the cause of your injuries and how much compensation you truly deserve. They will also be a great asset if your lawsuit makes it to trial to help prove to a jury your side and prevent you from sabotaging your case unknowingly. When a car accident case makes it to a trial many times you are needed to write down a statement of the events that led to the accidents and a detailed statement of the car accident. A lawyer would help you know which details are necessary to disclose without potentially hurting your case. As these statements are available to the opposing party to use, ultimately a lawyer will help protect you from the other party using your words against you in trial.
Overall, getting a lawyer as soon as possible after a car accident is always in your best interests. They are the ones who would best estimate the settlement which would be the most fair and appropriate for you. In Texas, when lawyers look at settlement offers your lawyer will take into account the expense of your medical bills, wages, and about 2-3 times that amount for your pain and suffering to best advise you how much you should be really settling for rather than the lowball number given by insurance companies.