Do or Don’t You Need a Local Auto Accident Lawyer who Knows the Ropes??
In most instances, it takes an experienced lawyer to make sure that accident victims recover the full and fair worth of their medical bills, pain, suffering, and damages to their vehicle and its contents. Depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident and its coverage level, it’s possible for a reasonably intelligent accident victim to handle his or her claim on their own, without the assistance of a lawyer. Aside from the general challenges presented by defendant insurers, below are a few more instances that illustrate how your interests are best served with the assistance of a local, experienced car accident attorney.
You’ve Suffered Bodily Harm in the Wreck – If you’re injured from your San Antonio auto accident, you must have an experienced lawyer handle your claim. A good rule of thumb is whether you need to make a return visit to your doctor after being treated for your injuries. Insurance companies don’t have to abide by any preexisting guidelines when deciding how much to pay you when you seek damages for bodily injuries. Because, by their very nature, insurance companies are more about premiums than claims, they can choose to pay you nothing and hope they get away with it. This is the first benefit of having a lawyer who is looking out for your interests regarding your claim. If you’ve suffered broken bones, head injuries, back injuries, or any other sort of injury in your wreck, do the smart thing and call a good attorney quickly.
The Other Driver is Hard to Deal With – It’s also a good idea to call an attorney if the other driver involved in your accident gives you a hard time either at the scene of the wreck or later, or if that other driver doesn’t want to give you his contact or insurance information. Belligerent accident “victims” usually have something to hide, either from the law or their insurance company. This could be an early warning that he’ll make it as difficult as possible for you to recover what you deserve. Treat this arrogant behavior as a big red flag that you need to seriously consider hiring a lawyer or have a solemn visit with an experienced one.
You Can’t Afford to See a Doctor or Pay your Medical Bills
Many people don’t have health insurance that could help them afford the treatment they need after they’ve been involved in a wreck. Even if an accident victim does have health insurance, the odds become less every day that their treatment needs will be covered under their health benefits. And whether or not they have health insurance, many accident victims are reluctant to get treatment for their injuries because they don’t think they can afford to take the time off of work to see a doctor, or they have higher-than-normal deductibles which preclude even using their health insurance.
Seeing a doctor and being adequately treated for your injuries after an accident is not only essential to your returning health, it’s necessary for your injury claim or lawsuit. If you can’t afford treatment, or if you already have medical bills that you can’t pay, there’s probably something that our personal injury lawyers can do to help. We regularly work with doctors and healthcare professionals and can hook you up with the right doctor who will take your situation in consideration. We have helped many of our clients receive necessary medical care after an auto accident at no out-of-pocket cost to them. Additionally, we can explain how the time you take off from work to get medical care may be computed in the damage compensation owed to you by the defendant in your case.
Besides, if you aren’t diligent in being treated for your injuries, why should the defendant be concerned with something that doesn’t appear to concern you?
If you’re lucky, and none of the above scenarios apply, the odds are pretty good that you can handle your case on your own, without the assistance of a San Antonio car accident lawyer, and reasonably resolve it. Sometimes, plaintiffs can successfully protect their own rights when involved in a wreck that resulted in property damage only. If your car was damaged, but you’re not injured, insurance companies are bound by strict guidelines which tell them what they have to pay you in compensation for the damage to your car. Since these guidelines give them virtually no wiggle room, insurance companies have very little opportunity to rip you off when they reimburse you for your repair bills or property damage. But if there are serious injuries, no guidelines exist. And that’s when you need legal help in defending your compensatory rights.
Put our years of experience to work for you. If you want to know your rights, how to proceed with your claim, and how much compensation you can secure from your auto accident case, call our Law Firm now for a free consultation and find out how we can help you.