One of the most common questions after being involved in an auto accident is wondering when is the right time to call a personal injury lawyer. Although a few things could come into play, the best answer is as soon as you can safely get to a phone. Even if you are injured or being transported to the hospital via ambulance, get someone else to make the call immediately.
Here is why the clock is ticking and the sooner you get a lawyer the better it will be for the outcome of your case.
Speaking With a Lawyer From the Accident
The minute you hang up your phone after calling emergency services, you should call an attorney. You’ll be sitting waiting for the police or medical team, so call and speak with a lawyer who can tell you what to do and what not to say while help is coming. Your attorney can get the ball rolling while you worry about getting your injuries addressed. While you might think your injuries are minor, your attorney will stress you must get to the hospital so it shows on the police report and gives doctors the opportunity to check for internal injuries while your body is coursing with adrenaline.
Gathering Evidence Before It Disappears
Part of the reason it is so important to speak with a lawyer as quickly as possible is because they can get an investigative team to the scene quickly to preserve any evidence. This evidence is the key to building a case that will force the other insurance company to pay the full settlement amount. The accident investigative team will take measurements of the location, reach out to witnesses, take plenty of photographs, and videotape the entire area in case things change months or years from now when a jury is looking at the case.
Getting You Medical Help Immediately
Even though you are at the hospital or being seen by your family doctor, your attorney is already making arrangements for you to be seen by the best doctors in their respected fields too. These are the best physicians in the region, and they will diagnose the extent of your injuries, perform surgery, schedule physical therapy, and provide written and video testimony that is crucial for convincing a jury to the extent of your injuries moving forward. Best part, your attorney is footing the bill, you have zero out-of-pocket costs when working early with a lawyer.
Preparing to Deal With the Insurance Company
While you are focused on getting your body healed, the last thing you want to be dealing with is an aggressive lawyer working for the other insurance company who wants to settle this case quickly. These lawyers know when a case is going to cost their clients, and offer the victim life-changing amounts of money in the hopes they take the bait and wind up with far less than they were entitled to. Your attorney is now on the case, and will deal with insurance company and lawyers, letting them know they are handling all correspondence moving forward.
Determining the Value of Your Case
While you are in recovery or physical therapy, your attorney now has to put all the pieces together to determine what your case is worth. By speaking with your physicians, looking at how the injury will impact your ability to earn, how it impacts your family life, and the pain you deal with today and well into your later years, your lawyer can come up with a settlement number. The more time you give your attorney, the more accurate they can determine the value of this case.
As you can see, valuable time right after the accident is wasted by clients wondering when is the right time to get an attorney involved. With the free initial consultation offered by the law firm, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain getting an expert on the case before too much time passes.
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