Motor Vehicle Accident Injuries: 6 Key Benefits of Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer

In South Carolina, it’s estimated there is one traffic collision every 3.7 minutes.  Many of those collisions involve property damage or injuries.

Car accidents, even ones where you believe you were not injured can quickly become a traumatic event nonetheless.

In the minutes, days, and even weeks following a car accident, you may begin to feel disoriented and on edge. This is normal.

However, it’s during this crucial time when you might unwittingly end up giving away your rights to seek medical treatment or your chance at a winning case.  Or you might settle your claim too early and give up the chance of a greater recovery to include all the money that you deserve.

That’s why, following a car accident, it’s important that you consult with a lawyer.  Continue reading and we’ll walk you through the key benefits of hiring a car accident attorney and what they can do for you.

An Attorney Can Help You Give Statements

After a car collision occurs, the at-fault party’s insurance company might ask you to provide a recorded or written statement about what happened.  This often includes how the collision occurred and what injuries you experienced. Remember, insurance companies are trying to minimize their risks.

Without an attorney present, you may end up giving a statement that could hurt your claim. The insurance company could then use that statement against you so that they don’t have to pay for your damages.

This is a common tactic used by insurance companies, especially on people who haven’t hired a lawyer yet. The insurance company might ask you difficult or trick questions designed to make you say something that will make it seem as if the accident was your fault and not the true at-fault driver.

The insurance company might also take your answers out of context.  A qualified car accident lawyer will be able to advise you on what to and what not to say.  They can also help keep emotions out of the way which is important when giving a recorded or written statement.

An Attorney Can Help Collect Evidence

In order to win your case, you’re going to need to have evidence that’s related to the accident. The evidence might include photos of the scene of the accident, police reports, and your medical records detailing your injuries. 

Not all of this evidence is always easily accessible.  Experienced lawyers are skilled at getting this kind of evidence efficiently and presenting it properly. 

In some cases, you also might need testimony from accident reconstruction experts, witnesses, and other experts who can help to prove the important parts of your case.

Lawyers can also help to issue subpoenas so that you can get access to important evidence like cell phone records or video camera footage.  This kind of evidence is difficult to get without a subpoena and can be very powerful in your case.

An Attorney Can Help Determine Who Was at Fault

Even if you think you were at fault, you might not be.  You simply don’t have all of the facts, which is why one of the worst things you can ever do after an accident is admit that you were at fault.

The other driver might have been on their cell phone, or the traffic light might have been broken.  There are a number of circumstances that can impact the decision as to who was really at fault. One of the principal jobs of a car accident attorney is to look at all of the facts and help you determine who really was at fault.

And even if you were partly at-fault for the accident, you still might qualify for damages.

In South Carolina, the courts apply comparative negligence.  This means that you can still recover from a lawsuit as long as you weren’t more negligent than the other person.  Another way to put it is that you can still recover damages as long as you were 50% or less at fault for the accident.

In this kind of instance, an adjuster would reduce the amount that you get in compensation proportionally to the amount that the crash was your fault.

An Attorney Can Help You from Settling Your Case Too Early

An attorney helps to make sure that you don’t settle your claim before realizing the full extent of how these injuries are going to affect your job and your everyday life.  Otherwise, you might end up missing out on compensation that you would need to cover future costs for injuries related to the accident.

Insurance adjusters routinely try to get people to settle before they retain the services of a lawyer.  When you agree to an early settlement, you agree to waive your rights to additional money for damages related to the accident.  This is regardless if new complications arise.

Lawyers Know the Laws

There are numerous car accident cases that have come before yours.  Those prior cases have now set precedents for future cases. A skilled and experienced lawyer is going to be aware of these past cases and should be able to refer to them in court to help strengthen your case. 

A car accident attorney is also well aware of all of the laws currently on the books that have to do with your case. You might not know all of the intricate seatbelt, speeding, and passing laws in your town or your city, but your lawyer does. 

Get a Lawyer to Help You with Your Car Accident Injuries

If you’ve been in a car accident, and have been injured, it’s extremely important that you retain the services of a skilled and experienced attorney.  It’s simply not worth risking your health and your finances by trying to work through your claim on your own.

If you live in the Greater Charleston, SC area and have suffered from car accident injuries or know someone who has, contact us today!