If you sustained one or more injuries as the result of a truck accident, you should act with a sense of urgency by contacting an experienced truck accident lawyer to schedule a meeting to discuss your case. Most truck accident attorneys offer a free case evaluation for potential clients to discuss their cases. During the first meeting with a truck accident attorney, the lawyer reviews your case to determine what type of action to take, which can include filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.
The attorney reads the official police report of your case, examines the physical evidence collected by the responding law enforcement agency, and interviews witnesses that describe what transpired before, during, and after the truck collision. You learn about how to file a persuasive insurance claim, as well as discuss the steps required to take legal action to recover the financial losses generated by the truck accident. Toward the end of the first meeting with a truck accident attorney, you get the opportunity to ask questions to help you decide whether the lawyer sitting across from you is the right one to handle your case. What Type of Questions Should I Ask the Truck Accident Attorney? The questions that you ask a truck accident lawyer can determine the direction you take for your case. You should ask questions that pertain to the attorney’s legal background, as well as clarify how the lawyer approaches handling truck accident cases that result in a victim sustaining one or more injuries. You also should ask questions that explain the legal process, as well as educate you on what you need to do to boosting the strength of your case. Here are the top five questions to ask a truck accident attorney: Do You Specialize in Handling Truck Accident Cases? Personal injury lawyers typically specialize in one, maybe two areas of personal injury law. You want to determine whether the attorney sitting across from you specializes in handling truck accident cases. Truck accident laws vary from other types of personal injury cases such as medical malpractice and premises liability. Although case and truck accident cases share many similarities, there are enough legal differences to require a truck accident attorney to handle your case. Do You Work on a Contingency Fee Basis? Hiring a truck accident attorney can cost a considerable amount of money, especially if a lawyer charges clients for legal services by the hour. You want to hire an attorney who operates on a contingency fee basis, which means the lawyer gets paid when you receive compensation from an insurance company and/or a personal injury lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Truck accident attorneys who charge on a contingency fee basis receive a percentage of a client’s compensation. Will You Work on My Case from Start to Finish? The truck accident attorney that you meet for an initial consultation might not be the same attorney who helps you file an insurance claim and/or a personal injury lawsuit. You want to avoid hiring a truck accident lawyer who meets with you for an initial consultation, only to delegate legal responsibilities to a paralegal or a less experienced litigator. Do You Negotiate Settlements? Your goal as a victim of a truck accident is to receive compensation in the least amount of time. You can accomplish this goal if your truck accident attorney is willing to negotiate a settlement with the insurance company processing your claim, as well as the defendant in a civil case. How Much Time Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit? Each state has established a deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit. Although most states have set the statute of limitations to take legal action between two and four years, other states have set the deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit as long as six years or as short as one year. Regardless of the statute of limitations established by the state where you live, you should act with a sense of urgency to recover your financial losses.
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Car accident attorneys provide several types of legal support for clients. They conduct thorough investigations that include gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses. Part of the evidence-gathering process involves reading the official police report, which represents the most influential document used by judges and insurance companies to issue decisions on financial claims. If you get involved in a car crash, a personal injury attorney who specializes in handling auto collision cases acts as an intermediary between you and the insurance adjuster processing your claim. You receive legal support during a civil trial, but your attorney should try to avoid a costly and time-consuming trial by trying to negotiate a settlement with the other party.
One cause of car accidents concerns the commission of one or more acts of road rage. If you sustained injuries and/or property damage as the result of road rage, you should contact an experienced and state-licensed car accident attorney. However, if you received a ticket or worse, a summons to appear in court because you committed one or more acts of road rage, then you should speak with a criminal defense lawyer. Although most states have not defined road rage as a specific crime, an act or acts of road rage that causes harm to another party might justify the filing of criminal charges such as attempted vehicular assault. What Are the Most Common Types of Road Rage Behaviors? A report released by AAA Exchange describes the different types of behavior that define road rage. One of the most common forms of road rage behavior is verbalizing anger while driving a motor vehicle. The verbalization of anger can consist of yelling, screaming, and/or cursing at another driver. Physical actions like banging on a dashboard and slamming the steering wheel constitute acts of road rage as well. Another common type of road rage behavior can lead to another party sustaining one or more injuries and property damage. This type of road rage behavior involves an angry motorist who performs dangerous vehicle maneuvers, such as colliding with another car. What are the Most Common Factors That Contribute to Road Rage? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that a driver can develop anger for one of several reasons. First, a motorist who had a bad day can quickly turn volatile when confronted with traffic congestion. For every minute that passes while stuck in traffic, the festering anger becomes stronger. Second, drivers that have time issues can flip on the anger switch when they are delayed while operating a motor vehicle. Third, the veil of anonymity leads many motorists to believe they can get away with unacceptable behavior. Finally, selfishness plays a role in some drivers developing road rage behavior. The Bottom Line: Road Rage Can Produce Serious Legal Consequences Road rage charges can lead to legal consequences that can negatively impact you for years to come. This is especially true if you caused another party physical harm and/or damaged personal property. If you face one or more charges of road rage, as well as related criminal charges, act with a sense of urgency by contacting an experienced criminal defense attorney. If you are involved in a truck accident, the first item on your to-do list is to check on the health of everyone involved in the collision. If you sustained one or more injuries as the result of a truck accident, you should seek immediate medical care. If you do not act with a sense of urgency to receive medical care, you might have a difficult time getting an insurance claim approved, as well as winning a legal judgment that awards you compensation. Truck accidents typically require the presence of law enforcement personnel to conduct an investigation that leads to the submission of the official accident report.
Although the cost of medical bills can put you in a deep financial hole, the repairs to your rig can cost as much, if not more than medical expenses such as diagnostic tests, treatment programs, and physical therapy sessions. The Technology and Maintenance Council of the American Trucking Association reported that in the last quarter of 2021, the average cost of labor and parts for truck repairs climbed more than four percent. This means big rig repair is costly unless you have a good truck accident attorney on your side of a legal dispute. Filing an Insurance Claim You have two possible sources of compensation after a truck accident: Filing an insurance claim and a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Filing an insurance claim requires the legal support of a personal injury lawyer who specializes in handling truck accident cases. An attorney calculates a fair value for compensation, as well as acts as an intermediary between you and the insurance adjuster. Without the legal support of an experienced lawyer, the insurance adjuster might deny a valid claim or approve a claim for much less than what you deserve in compensation. A truck accident attorney also closely monitors the progress of your claim to ensure the insurance adjuster processes it in a timely manner. Types of Compensation for a Civil Lawsuit Paying for the substantial costs associated with rig repair also can come from the monetary damages awarded by a judge hearing a personal injury lawsuit. Judges award economic damages to help plaintiffs pay for the costs associated with medical and truck repair bills. To receive compensation for rig repair, you must submit copies of repair bills for the judge to review. You also might qualify for non-economic damages and punitive damages. Non-economic damages pay for the costs associated with pain and suffering, while punitive damages punish the defendant for committing one or more acts of negligence. File a Personal Injury Lawsuit Rig repair is costly if you do not file a civil lawsuit before the expiration of the statute of limitations. Each state has established a deadline for taking legal action, with most states setting the deadline between two and four years. Although you have plenty of time to take legal action, you should act with a sense of urgency for two important reasons. First, you must pay rig repair bills as they come due. Without receiving compensation from a favorable legal judgment, you can quickly fall into debt. Second, your truck accident attorney needs to interview witnesses as soon as possible after the collision. Witness accounts tend to lose credibility the longer they are given after a personal injury incident.. You have sustained multiple injuries as the result of a boating accident. Rapidly mounting medical bills and costly boat repair receipts have put you in a deep financial hole. As you search for a personal injury attorney to help recover your financial losses, you discover that some car accident attorneys also practice personal injury law by representing clients involved in boating accident cases.
Will a car accident attorney handle a boating accident with injuries? The question should not be “Will a car accident attorney handle a boating accident with injuries.” Instead, the question is “Is a car accident attorney qualified to represent me when filing a boating accident insurance claim, as well as a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages?” Hiring a personal injury lawyer who specializes in handling boating accident cases is important for two reasons. First, your attorney must possess a deep understanding of the maritime and boat safety laws enacted by the state where you live. Each state enforces different maritime and boat safety laws. For example, although Texas and Florida share many of the same maritime and boat safety laws, each state has passed a few statutes that address different legal issues. Second, your attorney also must have in-depth knowledge of the type of boats that got involved in the boating accident. You also should search for a personal injury lawyer who has compiled a proven record of success. Determine the success rate of filed insurance claims, as well as the number of favorable legal judgments that awarded compensation to clients. A car accident attorney who occasionally takes on a boating accident case is not a viable candidate to represent you when filing an insurance claim and/or a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. What Do Car Accident and Boating Accident Attorneys Share in Common?Despite a few differences in knowledge requirements and case responsibilities, car accident and boating accident attorneys share several similar job duties. Conduct a Thorough Investigation Both car and boating accident attorneys conduct detailed investigations to determine the best course of action. Both types of cases require reading the official law enforcement agency report, which should include a description of what caused the accident. The most common causes of both car and boating accidents are distractions, reckless maneuvers, and operating under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Both types of lawyers also gather physical evidence and interview witnesses. Calculate a Fair Value for Compensation Personal injury attorneys calculate a fair value for compensation by considering three types of compensation awarded for a civil case: Economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages. Economic damages cover the costs associated with tangible expenses, such as medical bills and property repair receipts. Non-economic damages cover the costs associated with pain and suffering, which includes developing the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As a type of compensation that is not awarded to pay for a plaintiff’s expenses, punitive damages punish the defendant for committing one or more acts of negligence. Prove Negligence To prove another party committed at least one act of negligence for a boating accident, your attorney must prove the presence of four legal elements. Duty of care is a doctrine that holds all parties responsible for operating their boats safely. A breach of the duty of care doctrine represents one or more negligent acts committed by another party. Causation is an element that requires your personal injury lawyer to prove the boating accident caused your injuries. Finally, you have to prove you sustained financial losses as the result of the boating accident. A commercial truck fully loaded with products can transport more than 80,000 pounds, which gives a standard four-door sedan weighing around 4,000 no chance to withstand the impact delivered by a commercial truck. Data released in 2019 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) demonstrates how much carnage commercial trucks leave behind on our nation’s roads and highways. The NHTSA stated in the 2019 report that more than 5,000 motorists died as the result of a truck accident, with another 160,000 victims sustaining one or more serious injuries.
When you think about a truck accident, your thoughts probably immediately focus on the terrible losses suffered by the victims riding in a passenger car. However, truck drivers also sustain considerable losses as the result of accidents with passenger vehicles that can lead to substantial damage to products. For example, a truck carrying time-sensitive fruits and vegetables that gets sideswiped by a passenger vehicle can suffer tens, if not hundreds of thousands in financial losses. Do truck drivers have the same rights as other motorists when it comes to retaining a truck accident attorney? The answer is yes. As a truck driver, you have the right to recover the financial losses associated with the cost of product damages by hiring an experienced truck accident attorney. A truck accident attorney conducts a thorough investigation that includes interviewing witnesses and gathering physical evidence. Your truck accident attorney also reviews the official police report to determine the cause of the accident, which can lead to the discovery another party committed one or more acts of negligence. What Are the Three Types of Compensation Awarded for Truck Accident Cases?To file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages, your truck accident attorney must prove the presence of the four elements of negligence. Your lawyer must establish that the defendant owed you a duty of care and that the defendant breached the duty of care doctrine. The defendant must have committed one or more negligent acts that caused you to sustain an injury or injuries that resulted in financial losses. Here are the three types of compensation awarded for truck accident cases. Economic Damages Economic damages, which also lawyers refer to as special compensatory damages, cover the tangible costs associated with a truck accident case. Most truck accident cases generate costly medical bills, as well as property damage such as the damage done to a motor vehicle. If you are a trucking company that suffered financial losses as the result of damaged products, you might be able to recover the financial losses by demonstrating another party committed at least one act of negligence. However, filing a civil lawsuit is not the only way to recover the financial losses associated with damaged products. You also can file an insurance claim that requests compensation to cover the costs associated with replacing damaged products. Non-Economic Damages Non-economic damages do not come with a price tag, such as the compensation awarded to replace damaged products. Instead, non-economic damages cover the costs associated with pain and suffering, such as the development of emotional distress issues. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) represents a common mental health condition that develops after a motor vehicle accident. A truck accident that causes product damage might negatively impact the driver who starts to fear getting behind the wheel of a big rig. Punitive Damages Judges do not award punitive damages to help plaintiffs cover the costs associated with economic and non-economic damages. Instead, judges award punitive damages to punish defendants for committing one or more acts of negligence. Judges also award punitive damages to deter defendants from committing the same acts of negligence in the future. If another party committed an intentional act of negligence that damaged your products, the judge hearing your case might award you a value for punitive damages that exceeds the combined value of economic and non-economic damages. A law enforcement officer has pulled you over for speeding and the resulting ticket puts you precariously close to exceeding the number of points allowed per year for moving violations. Should you turn to a car accident attorney to dispute the traffic citation on your behalf?
The answer is no if you did not get involved in a vehicle collision. Car accident attorneys help clients recover the financial losses associated with getting involved in an auto crash. For a speeding ticket, you should contact a lawyer who specializes in helping clients beat traffic citations. However, if you received a speeding ticket as part of a car accident investigation conducted by law enforcement personnel, hiring a car accident attorney can help you dispute the traffic ticket, which in turn strengthens an insurance claim and a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. What Does a Traffic Citation Means for a Car Accident Case? Receiving a traffic ticket after an auto crash does not automatically make you guilty of causing the accident, but it does tip the scale of justice in the other motorist’s favor. The other driver’s attorney might try to hold you legally liable for causing the collision because you violated one or more traffic laws. Without a car accident attorney providing legal support, you have little, if any chance of getting an insurance claim approved or receiving a favorable legal judgment for compensation. How Should I Contest a Traffic Violation? The procedure for fighting a traffic citation differs from state to state. You should discover the procedure to follow in your state by reading the instructions printed on the back of the traffic ticket. Your car accident attorney can fight the traffic ticket in court, and if the police officer who issued the traffic citation does not show up in court, the judge hearing your case might dismiss it. Another way to fight a traffic citation received after an auto crash is to prove the traffic violation did not cause or contribute to the collision. If you live in a state that follows the comparative negligence doctrine, your attorney can argue that the other party should assume a percentage of the fault for causing the accident. For example, let’s assume you received a speeding ticket after a car accident. However, the other driver also committed a traffic violation by sending a text message while operating a motor vehicle. The judge hearing your case might assign each of you 20 percent of the blame for causing the motor vehicle collision. If the judge awards you $50,000 in monetary damages, the net compensation received declines by 20 percent to $40,000. What If My Traffic Citation Is Not Related to the Car Accident? Government safety agencies enforce traffic laws with the intent to minimize the number of auto crashes. For instance, establishing speed limits gives motorists more time to react to changing road and traffic conditions. Speed limit laws also minimize the power of vehicle impacts. However, other types of traffic laws have nothing to do with preventing motor vehicle collisions. Maybe you committed an administrative violation by not getting your registration renewed before the deadline. Any citations not related to a car accident should not be a factor considered by an insurance adjuster or a judge hearing a personal injury case. The Bottom Line: A Traffic Citation Does Not End Your Quest for Compensation Receiving a traffic citation after a car accident does not result in a determination of fault. If you got involved in a motor vehicle collision and then received a traffic ticket after the crash, you should act with a sense of urgency by contacting a state-licensed car accident attorney. Make sure you never admit guilt to any party, including the responding police officer and the insurance adjuster processing your claim. Personal injury law covers several types of cases, including car and truck accidents, as well as product liability and medical malpractice. All four of these types of personal injury law cases are considered high-profile cases, as stories about these types of personal injury cases appear regularly on the nightly news and your favorite online news source. However, slip and fall incidents can be just as serious as any of the other types of personal injury cases. The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) recently released a study showing that slip and fall incidents result in more than one million emergency room visits each year in the United States.
Injuries sustained as the result of a slip and fall incident range from minor cuts and bruises to a compound fracture of the wrist. When we slip and start to fall, the instinctive reaction is to use one or both arms to brace for the impact delivered by the fall. This makes one or both wrists highly vulnerable to sustaining some type of fracture. Although a compound fracture represents a serious injury with potentially severe health consequences, it is just one type of serious injury that you can sustain from a slip and fall. Other types of serious injuries that result from a slip and fall include whiplash, brain trauma, and spinal cord damage. How Does Personal Injury Law Benefit a Slip and Fall Victim?Personal injury law protects victims of slip and fall incidents by giving them several rights that help them recover financial losses. You Have the Right to File an Insurance Claim When you meet with a personal injury attorney for a free case evaluation, your lawyer explains the process for filing an insurance claim. Without legal representation, the insurance company that you have to deal with might try to take advantage of you. Filing a persuasive insurance claim starts by gathering and organizing physical evidence, such as photos of the slip and fall scene, as well as footage captured by a venue’s security cameras. Witness accounts also play a pivotal role in filing an insurance claim. Before you file the claim form, your personal injury attorney reviews it to ensure you have completed every section with accurate information. Your lawyer also closely monitors the claim to ensure it processes in a timely manner. You Have the Right to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit Filing a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages requires more preparation than the preparation required for filing an insurance claim. Your personal injury attorney must prove another party committed one or more acts of negligence. Proving negligence requires your lawyer to demonstrate the presence of four elements, starting with the element called duty of care. The venue where you slipped and fell owed you a duty of care to prevent you from sustaining one or more injuries. The second element of proving negligence involves showing another party violated the duty of care doctrine. Then, your attorney presents evidence that you sustained injuries as the result of a slip and fall that caused financial losses. You Have the Right to Seek Compensation The primary goal of filing a personal injury lawsuit is to win a favorable legal judgment in the form of receiving compensation. You have the right to seek economic damages, which represent the tangible costs associated with the slip and fall incident, such as lost wages, medical bills, and property damage. Non-economic damages do not come with a price tag, but they can be as financially draining as economic damages. After a slip and fall, you might develop symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) anytime that you walk into a similar venue to the one where you slipped and fell. Punitive damages do not cover financial losses. Instead, a judge awards punitive damages to punish a plaintiff for committing one or more acts of negligence. You Have the Right to Discovery One lesser-known benefit of personal injury law concerns your right to gain access to the physical evidence and witness statements acquired by the other party. The discovery phase of the litigation process grants both sides the opportunity to share information, which helps both parties determine whether taking the case to trial is worth the time and money. During the discovery phase of the litigation process, both parties can try to negotiate a settlement that avoids a costly and time-consuming trial. Bicyclists have become just as common as motorists on our nation’s roads. Many municipalities have designated lanes for bicyclists to use exclusively. The rapid increase in the number of bicyclists corresponds to an increase in the number of car accidents that injure bicyclists. If you are a bicyclist who sustained one or more injuries as the result of a car accident, should you call a car accident attorney for legal support?
The answer is yes, but contact a car accident attorney who specializes in handling cases involving an injured bicyclist. How Does a Car Accident Attorney Provide Legal Support for a Bicyclist? Hiring an experienced car accident lawyer who specializes in handling cases involving an injured bicyclist provides you with several types of legal support. Conducts a Thorough Investigation For most types of car accident cases, law enforcement officers respond to the scene of an accident to secure it and then conduct an investigation. Your car accident attorney conducts a separate investigation that includes gathering additional physical evidence, as well as interviewing witnesses that describe what transpired before, during, and after the car accident. Your lawyer also reviews the official police report. Calculates a Reasonable Value for Compensation One of the most common reasons why insurance adjusters deny claims and judges dismiss lawsuits concerns the submission of an unreasonable value for compensation. Your car accident attorney adds up the costs of medical bills and repairs performed to fix property damage. If you missed work because of your injuries, you might qualify for compensation that covers lost wages. Non-economic damages such as the costs associated with pain and suffering often are more difficult to calculate. Interacts with the Insurance Adjuster Many insurance companies love to deal with policyholders that do not retain legal representation. If you do not hire an attorney to help you file an insurance claim, the adjuster might deny a valid claim or approve a claim that is worth much less than what you deserve in compensation. A car accident attorney who specializes in providing legal support for bicyclists also acts as a buffer between you and the insurance adjuster. Your lawyer monitors the progress of your claim to ensure it receives the consideration it deserves. Negotiates a Settlement Your car accident attorney has two opportunities to negotiate a settlement. First, your lawyer can negotiate with the insurance adjuster. Second, to avoid a costly and time-consuming civil trial, your lawyer can negotiate a settlement with the other party’s attorney. This typically takes place during the discovery phase of the litigation process, which is when both parties share physical evidence and the statements provided by witnesses. Negotiations start when your attorney submits an offer and negotiations can continue through several rounds of counteroffers. File a Civil Lawsuit As a bicyclist who sustained one or more injuries as the result of a car accident, you might have a strong enough case to prove another party committed at least one act of negligence. If your car accident attorney can show the other party committed one or more acts of negligence, you might have enough physical evidence to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. Not only does your attorney submit the proper documents with your personal injury lawsuit, but your lawyer also helps you file a personal injury lawsuit long before the expiration of the statute of limitations. The Bottom Line If you are a bicyclist who sustained one or more injuries as the result of a car accident, a car accident attorney can help you recover the financial losses associated with diagnosing, treating, and rehabilitating your injuries. Some of the factors that define a highly-rated car accident attorney include experience, responsive communication, and a proven record of success. If you get involved in a car accident, you have to follow a few steps to determine whether you receive compensation to recover the financial losses associated with medical bills, property damages, and possibly lost wages. The first thing to do involves calling 911 to activate the emergency response system. Next, you should receive prompt treatment for your injuries. The longer you wait to receive medical care after a car accident, the more likely the insurance company you have to process a claim with might consider your injuries not serious enough to warrant compensation.
The third item on your to-do list after a vehicle collision is to contact an experienced car accident lawyer to help you determine whether another party should assume fault for causing the auto crash. How Does My Car Accident Lawyer Help Me Resolve a Fault Dispute? The most contentious issue between all parties involved in a car accident concerns determining which party or parties should assume fault for causing the collision. A car accident attorney helps you resolve a fault dispute in the following ways. Interacts with the Insurance Company Insurance companies love dealing with policyholders that do not retain legal counsel when filing a claim. If you do not hire an experienced car accident lawyer to help you file a persuasive insurance claim, the insurance company might deny a valid claim or approve a claim for a value that is far below the compensation that you deserve. Working with a car accident attorney ensures the insurance company does not falsely accuse you of causing the auto crash. Your lawyer also monitors your claim to ensure it receives the prompt attention that it deserves. Gather Physical Evidence The law enforcement personnel responding to the car accident conduct an investigation that leads to the filing of the official police report. Inside the police report, your attorney should find information that describes what caused the accident, as well as a determination as to which party, if any, should assume legal liability for committing one or more acts of negligence. Your car accident attorney also conducts a thorough separate investigation to uncover more physical evidence. One of the most trusted types of physical evidence is the footage captured by a nearby traffic and/or security camera. Interview Witnesses Witness accounts alone do not provide enough evidence to determine which party should assume fault for causing a motor vehicle collision. However, witness statements provide legal support for what happened before, during, and after the auto crash. Your car accident attorney needs to interview witnesses as close to the date of the vehicle collision as possible to receive the most accurate accounts. What Are the Four Elements of Proving Negligence? A car accident attorney resolves a fault dispute by proving the presence of the four elements of negligence. First, your lawyer must establish the other party owed you a duty of care to protect you against sustaining injuries. Second, you must demonstrate the other party breached the duty of care doctrine by committing one or more acts of negligence. Third, the car accident must have caused your injuries and finally, your injuries generated financial losses. The aftermath of a car accident can put you under incredible pressure. Not only do you have to receive medical treatment for your injuries, but eventually, you have to address the costs associated with medical bills and repairing the damage done to your vehicle and other types of property. You have to gather and organize persuasive physical evidence to file an insurance claim and if another party committed one or more acts of negligence, a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages.
Add on top to the typical responsibilities of dealing with the aftermath of a vehicle collision is the fact that you have been charged with an accident. If you were charged with an accident, here’s how a car accident attorney will help. Conduct a Thorough Investigation An experienced car accident attorney knows how to collect the type of evidence that can exonerate you of all charges and possibly discover that the other party committed at least one act of negligence. Most car accidents require the presence of a law enforcement agency to conduct a separate investigation, as well as secure the accident scene to protect other drivers and passengers. Photographs of all vehicles involved, as well as images of the accident scene, can lead an investigating officer to determine the cause of the vehicle collision. However, your lawyer can strengthen your case by acquiring traffic camera footage captured at the scene of the accident. Interview Witnesses One of your most important responsibilities after an auto crash is to obtain the names and contact information of every witness to hand over to your car accident attorney. Your lawyer interviews each witness to determine whether there is enough legal support to back the physical evidence collected. Witness accounts help describe what happened before, during, and after the car accident, as well as explain in detail the road and weather conditions at the time of the collision. Interact with the Insurance Company Dealing with an insurance company following a car accident can be an exercise in frustration. If the insurance company processing your claim discovers you were charged with the accident, the likelihood of you receiving compensation dramatically falls. Many insurance companies like to take advantage of policyholders who do not retain legal representation or hire an attorney, yet file an insurance claim without any legal support. An experienced attorney can help you demonstrate that you did not commit an act of negligence that caused the vehicle collision. Prove the Other Party Committed at Least One Act of Negligence If the physical evidence gathered at the scene of the auto crash and witness accounts verify your version of events, your lawyer might be able to turn around your charge of causing the accident by proving the other party should be held legally liable for your injuries. Proving negligence requires demonstrating the presence of four elements, which are a duty of care, breaching the duty of care doctrine, causation, and financial losses. If you can prove the other party committed one or more acts of negligence, you might have a strong enough case to file a civil lawsuit that seeks monetary damages. The Bottom Line If you have been charged with an accident, act with a sense of urgency by hiring an experienced car accident attorney. Without legal representation, you might lose more than the financial losses that are associated with lost wages, medical bills, and the cost of repairing property damage. |
AuthorSince 1982, the attorneys of Schiff & Associates have provided our clients with quality legal representation in cases of personal injury and wrongful death. Our clients benefit from the combined skills of a powerful legal team. Archives
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