Do I Need A Lawyer If I Was Injured In A Car Accident?
Getting in a car accident is never planned. Suddenly your whole world has changed, and you are scrambling to deal with it the best you can. Your car is damaged. You are damaged. Insurance companies are calling. It’s a lot to deal with, and you are not at your fighting best.
Washington law gives those who are harmed due to the fault of others the right to be compensated for their losses. But compensation is not freely given. The process is adversarial, and rights must be proven before they are enforced. A person cannot be a strong advocate on their own behalf if they don’t know the rules of the game.
When someone gets injured in a motor vehicle accident and wants to make a claim for compensation, personal injury attorneys who handle car accident cases are able to use their knowledge and experience to give clients an advantage they would not otherwise have when making a personal injury claim.
At the Law Offices of Joseph Rome, we want people to understand that hiring a lawyer is not some luxury you can afford to do without. Our Kirkland car accident attorney is your skilled advocate when you have suffered personal injuries and need help getting back on your feet.
Dealing with Insurance Companies
Washington requires drivers to carry liability insurance to pay for the damage from accidents they may cause. When Washington car accidents happen, they are reported to insurance companies who then investigate and pay claims.
Insurance companies must honor their contractual obligations to claimants but they never want to pay out more than is absolutely necessary. This means insurance adjusters are looking for legitimate ways to limit their responsibility, and claimants need to be aware of this when they are asked to give information.
Claimants who don’t understand the relative importance of the information they are asked to give may offer damaging admissions or agree to circumstances without understanding the significance of what they are doing.
When insurance companies know that claimants are represented by personal injury attorneys, they understand that they are dealing with a formidable opponent and that they must follow certain rules.
Determining Fault for the Accident
The determination of fault for causing an accident is important because it can directly affect the amount of compensation that an injured party can recover. There are times when there is no question as to the at-fault party. But the determination of fault can be more complex where there are accusations of fault made back against an injured party.
In Washington, a personal injury claimant who has contributed to causing the accident is still allowed to recover damages from another at-fault party. The compensation will be reduced by the percentage of fault attributed to the person seeking recovery.
Knowing how to challenge allegations of fault and what evidence is necessary to overcome them is a crucial step in determining how much of a claimant’s damages can be recovered.
Establishing the Full Extent of Your Injuries
After fault for an accident is established, another big issue is determining the amount of compensation that should be awarded. This requires a detailed examination of the injuries and the impact they have had or will have in the future.
While compensation for similar injuries can serve as a guide, every claimant is different and every claim is unique. Future medical treatment may be necessary. Someone may have to live with chronic pain. The injuries may have made once enjoyable activities no longer possible. All of these things must be documented and given a monetary value.
An injury evaluation needs to be thorough, detailed, and supported by credible evidence. Car accident lawyers have access to the medical experts necessary to prove the nature and extent of personal injuries.
Negotiating a Personal Injury Settlement
In the end, an agreement must be reached. Very often, how good or not that final settlement turns out to be is based on the skill of the person who negotiated it. Attorneys are negotiators. They try to make the best deal. When you work with an injury lawyer, they are working to get the best deal for you.
You wouldn’t want somebody flying your plane that wasn’t a pilot. And if you needed open-heart surgery, you wouldn’t want it performed by someone who wasn’t a doctor. People get specialized training to provide services that are needed and require knowledge not everyone has. Attorneys provide the legal advantage you need to give you the best chance of succeeding with your personal injury claim.
Serving King County for more than 15 years, personal injury attorney Joseph Rome has negotiated successful outcomes for hundreds of clients injured in car accidents. Call the Law Offices of Joseph Rome at 425-429-1729 or visit our website to schedule a free consultation.