How Waiting to Hire a Lawyer Can Affect Your Personal Injury Claim

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When you have been injured in a car accident or other type of injury-causing incident, one of the most important things you can do soon after the accident is to speak with a personal injury lawyer. Not getting prompt legal help can have serious consequences on the outcome or success of your claim for compensation. 

Why Hiring an Attorney Soon after an Accident Is Important

One of the most important reasons for hiring a lawyer soon after being injured in an accident is to make sure you can preserve evidence from the accident that you can later use as part of your claim for compensation. Evidence from an accident may be quickly cleaned up or lost over time, records may be destroyed as part of normal records retention policies, and eyewitnesses’ memories can begin to fade. 

For example, a car accident may have been caused by a defect in some part used in one of the cars involved in the crash. On the surface, it might seem like the driver of the defective vehicle was at fault for the accident. However, a personal injury lawyer might know to have a post-crash inspection performed on the driver’s car before it is repaired or scrapped, which would reveal the presence of a defect and show that the vehicle or auto part manufacturer is really at fault for the accident. 

Hiring a lawyer soon after an accident can also be incredibly helpful if you are contacted by the insurance company right after you are injured in an accident. The insurance company’s primary goal is to minimize the amount of compensation they must pay for your injuries and losses. One of the tactics that insurers use to do this is getting accident victims to accept a quick settlement before they fully understand the extent of their injuries and losses. An attorney can handle communications with the insurance company on your behalf, pushing back when the insurer tries to move for a quick settlement. Your attorney will also be able to appropriately value your claim once your injuries have been diagnosed and can negotiate with the insurer for a settlement amount that fairly compensates you. 

What Lawyers Do When Hired for a Personal Injury Claim

When you retain a personal injury lawyer for your case after you’ve been hurt in an accident or incident, some of the actions that your lawyer will take on your behalf include:

• Conducting an investigation into the accident and securing evidence that shows what happened in the accident and what caused it
• Identifying parties who can be held liable for your injuries and losses, including not only those who caused the accident but also other parties who can be held vicariously liable for others’ negligence
• Finding applicable insurance coverages or other sources of compensation
• Calculating your past, ongoing, and future expenses and losses
• Timely filing your insurance or legal claims
• Negotiating on your behalf to try to reach a fair and full settlement
• Advocating your case in court or trial or at arbitration if your claim ends up being formally litigated

Contact a Rochelle Park Personal Injury Lawyer to Discuss Your Car Accident Case in New Jersey

Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries due to a car accident in New Jersey? Don’t let the medical bills pile up while you wait for the negligent party or their insurance company to do the right thing. Right now, you need an aggressive personal injury attorney on your side, fighting to get you the compensation you need, want, and deserve. The skilled attorneys at The Epstein Law Firm represent clients injured because of car accidents in Jersey City, Union City, Bayonne, Hoboken, and throughout New Jersey. Call 201-231-7847 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a free consultation about your case. We have an office conveniently located at 340 West Passaic St., Rochelle Park, NJ 07762.

The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.