Car Accidents and Personal Injury Attorneys: How They Can Help You
Being involved in a car accident can be a traumatic and stressful experience. Even a relatively minor collision can leave you with injuries, vehicle damage, lost wages, and medical bills. If the accident was not your fault, you may be entitled to compensation. Experienced personal injury attorneys Aurora can help you understand your rights and get the financial recovery you deserve.
Seeking Medical Attention
The first thing to do after an accident is seek medical attention, even if your injuries seem minor. Symptoms of concussions, soft tissue injuries, and internal bleeding often do not appear until hours or days later. Getting prompt medical care creates a record of your injuries and treatment that will be critical evidence if you pursue a claim later.
Notifying Your Insurance Company
You should notify your auto insurance company about the accident as soon as possible. Provide only the basic facts about what happened, as anything you say can affect your eligibility for benefits. If the claims adjuster asks for additional details or a recorded statement, politely decline until you have spoken to an attorney. Insurance companies are focused on minimizing payouts, not maximizing your compensation.
Do You Need a Lawyer?
Hiring a Champaign personal injury lawyer is advisable if you were seriously injured, incurred significant expenses, or the insurance company is disputing fault and refusing reasonable compensation. Personal injury lawyers handle car accident claims on a contingency basis, meaning legal fees come out of any settlement you receive.
They have a financial incentive to maximize your payout. An experienced attorney understands what your claim is worth, deals with insurance adjusters on your behalf, thoroughly investigates the accident, preserves evidence, consults accident reconstruction experts, locates eyewitnesses, and prepares a strong demand package supported by medical documentation.
Steps in a Car Accident Claim
- Investigation – Your attorney gathers police reports, photos, witness statements, video footage, and other evidence to build a compelling case. Reconstructing how and why the collision occurred is key.
- Calculating Damages – The firm calculates your economic damages like medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and loss of future earnings capacity. They also quantify harder-to-measure non-economic damages for your pain and emotional distress.
- Demand Letter – The lawyer presents a demand letter to the insurance company detailing your injuries, expenses, and explaining why you should be compensated. Credible documentation and evidence backs up the amount demanded.
- Settlement Negotiations – Alternatively, the attorney may file a personal injury lawsuit to prompt serious settlement talks. Insurers wish to avoid trials, so a lawsuit often brings them to the negotiating table. Through skillful negotiations, most claims settle out of court.
- Trial – If no fair settlement offer is made, then your attorney takes the case to trial, where a judge or jury decides the final compensation amount. Less than 10% of personal injury claims go to trial.
Consult a Car Accident Attorney Today
Don’t delay in speaking to an experienced personal injury lawyer after any significant auto collision. They provide a free, no-obligation case evaluation, so there is no risk. They can advise you on the best steps to take and protect your rights. The sooner you engage their services, the faster they can start building your claim, so you receive full and fair compensation.