There are many reasons to hire a personal injury attorney after a car accident, including the fact that we can help with many aspects of your case. This article describes five of the many roles we can take on for you. Call Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 if you require a free legal consultation to learn more about your specific options.
- Investigating Your Case Even if the case seems cut and dry to you, there are likely mitigating factors that require the attorney to find evidence of what happened. The investigation process can involve getting statements from all involved parties, talking to expert witnesses, speaking with the police, and taking photos of the accident and relevant information. Your personal injury attorney may also look at the police report and the insurance company reports, get surveillance video if possible, review records of previous accidents at that location, inspect the vehicles, review medical records, and whatever else is necessary.
- Gathering Evidence In addition to reviewing the evidence that has already been found and collected, the attorney will likely gather their own evidence. This may involve reviewing engineering reports, talking to crash reconstruction experts, and working with those in the medical profession to get a bigger picture of the injuries.
- Issuing a Demand Letter Once your attorney has a good idea of the damages involved in the accident, a demand letter will need to be issued. This will have information about who was involved, the facts of the accident, specifics about property damage and medical injuries, losses and other costs, and a demand for appropriate compensation from the insurance company.
- Negotiating with the Insurance Company It is very unlikely that the insurance company is going to accept the demand letter and pay the claim as requested. Instead, your attorney will need to fight for fair compensation – this happens during the negotiation phase. Remember that the insurance company has a team of attorneys – this is not a step you want to take on your own.
- Filing an Injury Lawsuit if Necessary It is generally ideal for the attorney to come to an agreement with the insurance company because this gets the injured party their money as quickly as possible. However, if the insurance company is not willing to provide a fair settlement then the case may need to continue to a lawsuit. A personal injury attorney with experience in this process can get it started and follow through for you.
If you have been injured and believe you have the right to recover damages, we encourage you to contact Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 for a free legal consultation.
