When Should You Call an Attorney after an Accident?

 

The days and weeks after a serious accident can be confusing and difficult to manage. If you are seriously hurt, you may be hospitalized, exhausted, in pain, anxious, and confused. As your condition improves and you start to consider the future, you may wonder whether or not you should call an attorney, and if so, when it is an appropriate time to do so.

You should always call an attorney after an accident, and you should do as soon as possible.

Accident victims should hesitate to talk to an attorney as soon as possible after an accident. In fact, the earlier you speak with a lawyer, the sooner that your attorney will be able to start investigating your case and gathering evidence that your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence. Waiting to speak with an attorney risks the loss or destruction of evidence, as memories can fade, surveillance footage can be regularly wiped, documents can be lost, and negligent parties can take steps to cover up their liability.

Won’t calling an attorney earlier in a case result in higher legal fees?

Many injured people are under the mistaken impression that the longer a lawyer works on their case, the higher their legal fees will be. While this may be true in divorce or criminal cases where lawyers often charge hourly fees, it is almost never the case in personal injury matters. This is due to the fact that personal injury attorneys tend to use a contingent fee arrangement with their clients. This simply means that any legal fees that the attorney or firm will collect are contingent upon recovering compensation for the client – if recovery is obtained, the client owes nothing. By using this type of arrangement, personal injury attorneys can ensure that people who need legal representation are able to get it, regardless of their ability to pay.

What can an attorney do for me?

If you have already been offered a settlement from the party at fault for your injuries or his or her insurance company, you may wonder why would want to hire an attorney at all. Some of the reasons it is always advisable to speak with an attorney include the following;

• Insurance companies may offer unrepresented parties offers significantly below what their case is actually worth. Hiring an attorney will ensure that you receive the full and fair value of your case.
• In some cases, an insurance company may simply refuse to settle your case for an adequate amount. When you hire an attorney, you will be ready to go to court if this occurs.
• Insurance companies may use tactics that are designed to get victims to inadvertently admit full or partial liability for their accident, which can jeopardize your ability to recover compensation. Your attorney will communicate on your behalf with the insurance company ensuring that you will receive the compensation to which you are entitled.

Call the Wilton Law Firm to Speak with a New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyer

Retaining an attorney after an injury-causing accident is the most effective way to ensure that you receive the compensation to which you are legally entitled. To learn more about how we can help you, call the Wilton Law Firm today at 732-275-9555 or send us an email through our online contact form.