Attorneys Answer: When Do You Need to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer? 

Millions of car accidents occur in the United States each year, and there’s a good chance you may be involved in a crash in your lifetime. If another person causes the accident by acting negligently, they may be responsible for your damages. This could include compensation for past and future medical bills, lost income, and other unexpected costs. 

However, it can be difficult to get compensation for your injuries from the at-fault driver. They may claim that you were at fault, dispute your damages, or their insurance company may be difficult to negotiate with. 

The best step you can take after a car accident to ensure that your rights are protected is to hire an experienced car accident lawyer. They’ll put their knowledge and experience to work for you and help you seek fair compensation. 

You aren’t required to hire a car accident attorney if you’re involved in an accident in Chicago, but it’s important to understand when you should seriously consider doing so. Or, contact an experienced Chicago car accident lawyer to learn more about how they can help. 

Your Injuries Are Serious, and You Need to Focus on Recovery

Your Injuries Are Serious, and You Need to Focus on Recovery

The immediate benefit of hiring an experienced car accident lawyer is that they will work diligently on your case so you don’t have to. This is crucial injuries are severe or fatal

Injuries commonly occurring in car accidents include the following: 

  • Broken bones 
  • Concussions 
  • Head injuries 
  • Lacerations 
  • Traumatic brain injuries 
  • Paralysis 
  • Amputation 
  • Chest injuries 
  • Eye injuries 
  • Burns 
  • Crushing injuries 
  • Spinal cord injuries 
  • Airbag injuries 
  • Whiplash 
  • Sprains and strains 
  • Nerve damage
  • Internal organ damage 
  • Soft tissue damage 
  • Internal bleeding

It’s hard enough to juggle injuries, medical appointments, and rehabilitation without trying to navigate the personal injury claim process on your own. 

An experienced Chicago car accident attorney will collect evidence of your accident and injuries, communicate with the opposing party, hire expert witnesses if needed, and negotiate a settlement. They’ll also ensure that all paperwork is filed on time. They’ll focus on the case while you focus on healing. 

An Insurance Company Is Involved

Car accident cases usually involve the at-fault party’s insurance company, which will compensate the injured party. But insurance companies are big businesses that will work hard to save money. Insurance companies often have legal departments with experienced car accident lawyers who will challenge your claims and the amount of your damages. 

When you hire a car accident attorney, they can do the following for you: 

  • Handle communications with the insurance adjusters 
  • Negotiate with the insurance company for a fair settlement 
  • Represent you in court if a settlement agreement cannot be reached with the insurance company

Experienced car accident attorneys have the training and experience to fight insurance companies. They know their tactics and understand what a reasonable settlement offer looks like. Hire a knowledgeable Chicago car accident lawyer if you’re seeking compensation from the at-fault party’s insurance company. 

You’re Being Blamed for the Accident

Being blamed for an accident in Chicago can significantly impact your potential compensation. In Illinois, you can recover compensation if you’re found to be 50% at fault or less for an accident, but your compensation will be reduced in proportion to your degree of fault. If you are 51% or more at fault, you will be barred from recovering compensation.

If you think you’ll be blamed as partly or wholly at fault for a car accident, contact an experienced car accident lawyer to defend you from claims of comparative fault. Your attorney will fight for you to receive fair and full compensation for your injuries from the at-fault party. 

The Value of Your Case is Disputed

If the opposing party or their insurance company disputed the amount of your damages, you should hire an experienced car accident attorney. Insurance companies may argue that your injuries pre-dated the accident, aren’t as severe as you allege, or that your medical treatment was unnecessary or unreasonably priced. They may dispute the amount of time you were unable to work, the extent of your emotional injuries, or the value of your vehicle before the crash.

A skilled car accident attorney will be prepared to counter these arguments. They’ll fight for you to recover the total value of your case and will hire expert witnesses, if necessary, to support your claims. 

How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?

Usually, you don’t have to pay any legal fees upfront to hire a car accident lawyer, so you can hire an attorney regardless of your financial means. Most car accident lawyers charge a contingency fee, collected at the end of the case as a percentage of the settlement or verdict amount. The attorney does not collect a fee if you don’t recover any compensation. 

Contact Our Experienced Chicago Car Accident Lawyers For Help

The most effective step you can take after a car accident to secure fair compensation for your injuries is to hire an experienced car accident lawyer. They’ll fight for you to recover compensation for all your accident-related losses. 

Our Chicago personal injury lawyers have 35 years of experience helping clients injured in collisions and other personal injury accidents. Since opening our law office in 2014, our legal team has recovered more than $250 million for injured clients, including 75 settlements and verdicts worth $1 million or more.  

Contact our law firm at Powell and Pisman Injury Lawyers to discuss your car accident case with one of our dedicated Chicago car accident lawyers at (312) 635-5400