But the right lawyer can you help you make the best of a bad situation.
Sometimes a car crash leads to a lot of inconvenient trips to the doctor, body shop, and missed work. Other times, a car crash can change your life forever - or ends a loved one’s. Either way, if you have been injured in a car crash or tractor trailer crash you probably have some questions. Here are some answers.
What to Do After a Crash
1. Get Medical Treatment
If you have been hurt by someone else’s carelessness, your job is to try to get better. To do that, see a doctor and follow that doctor’s advice. Understand that one day an insurance adjuster will read every page of your medical records, and the adjuster will be looking for reasons to not believe that you were hurt. If you do not get treatment that your doctor recommends, the insurance adjuster may think that you were hurt. If you get treatment that the doctor did not recommend, the adjuster will think it was unnecessary. Follow your doctor’s advice. And if you can’t find a doctor who wants to treat a crash injury patient, a good lawyer can help you find a doctor who will.
2. Don’t Sign Anything
Often, insurance companies will try to convince you to do things that will hurt your claim. They may ask you to give a recorded statement or sign forms that can be twisted out of context and used against you later. Because of this, you should not sign anything until you have consulted an attorney and understand your rights.
3. Document Your Injuries
If you suffered cuts, bruises, swelling, or other visible injuries, you must document them. Take pictures! Also, document for your attorney how your injuries are affecting your daily life.
Choosing a Lawyer
Serious injuries require serious attorneys. If you’ve suffered a permanent life-changing injury, you need a serious attorney, not a TV salesman with a law degree. The decisions that you and your lawyer make during the course of your case have lifelong benefits or consequences. Choose your attorney wisely. Here are some tips.
You want a lawyer who understands insurance companies
Many lawyers tell their injury clients that their case can be settled as soon as they are done treating. While theoretically true, insurance companies rarely make fair settlement offers at this stage. Insurance companies have spent a lot of money convincing the public that greedy trial lawyers file frivolous lawsuits all the time, but the truth is that insurance companies provoke litigation by making insulting settlement offers. Generally, to get a fair settlement, you have to file a lawsuit. Make sure your attorney understands this.
Your lawyer must think about trial from day one
Most injury claims settle before trial, but you are more likely to get a fair settlement if your lawyer is preparing for trial from the get-go. Insurance companies know which lawyers take cases to trial and which ones don’t. Those who do generally get higher settlements. Why? Insurance companies know that a real trial lawyer will not jump at the first settlement offer. Instead, a trial lawyer will hold the insurance company’s feet to the fire by preparing the case for trial by day one. By constantly pushing the case toward trial and showing along the way that he or she is prepared to win, a skilled trial lawyer is prepared to succeed. A trial lawyer who is prepared to win at trial will not have to ask you to settle your case for less than a fair amount.
it’s all about teamwork
Choosing a lawyer is one of the most important decisions you can make. Don’t be afraid to speak to several attorneys before hiring one. This is a team sport. You and your attorney must be able to work well together to win. To properly prepare your case for trial, your attorney should spend a lot of time with you as your case progresses. The better your attorney knows you, the better he can explain to the jury how your crash has changed your life. That only comes with time spent together. Look for an attorney with whom you can forge a winning partnership.