Car accidents can be life-changing events for anyone who is involved. They often involve traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and lacerations and bruises that can leave victims with long-lasting medical bills, lost wages, and a lot of pain and suffering.
A good car accident lawyer will be able to take on the insurance companies and work for you to help you recover the compensation that you deserve for your injuries. They can gather evidence from the scene of the crash, speak with witnesses, and pursue the case through civil court if necessary to get you the money that you deserve for your loss. To hire an accident attorney, then continue reading here.
Proving Fault
One of the first things that a good car accident lawyer will do is to find out who caused the crash and how much the other driver was responsible for causing it. This is critical because in New York, drivers are held liable for the accidents they cause by law. If the at-fault driver is found to be more than 50 percent responsible for causing the crash, then the injured party will not be able to receive any recovery.
Recovering Compensation
A car accident lawyer will look at two main types of damages — economic and non-economic — to determine the value of your claim: “Economic” damages include lost wages, medical costs, rehabilitation costs, and lost future earnings. These are easily quantifiable and can be backed by invoices, bills, or receipts.
“Non-economic” damages are more difficult to quantify. These are less tangible, such as emotional and psychological suffering. They are more personal to each crash victim, and can be hard to accurately quantify.
The lawyers understand the details and complexities of car accident litigation and know how to maximize the amount of money awarded to their clients.
Depending on the specific circumstances, they may be able to collect compensation from other sources as well, such as uninsured or underinsured motorists who caused the crash and carried minimal or no insurance.
Recovering Compensation Through Your Insurance Policy
If you have comprehensive auto insurance coverage, your insurance provider will likely be the first place that you turn when you are in an accident. They will not be happy to write you a check for the full value of your claim, though, because they will want to minimize their payout in order to make their profits.
Refuse Early Offers
When you’re in a car crash, the insurance company for the at-fault party will be very eager to start communicating with you and trying to get you to accept their lowball offer. Those early conversations can give the at-fault party’s representatives valuable information about your accident and injury that they will use against you later in a legal trial.
Never give a statement to an insurance company representative.
Insurance companies are trained to make you think that you have little power in a car accident case and will do anything they can to pay you less than you deserve. Oral statements are recorded and can be used against you in a legal trial. This post https://www.huffpost.com/entry/7-smart-things-to-do-immediately-after-an-accident_b_11947766 elaborates more on the topic, so you may need to check it out.