A few years ago my mother was in a terrible car accident and suffered some horrific injuries. Over time…some of these injuries healed up completely and while others remain a big problem to this day. That entire ordeal taught us a lot about when to hire a car accident lawyer and a few important things to look for when selecting the proper attorney to handle our case.
Today, I wanted to share a few of those tips with all of you.
1. If you are in a serious car accident you should hire an attorney immediately! If you are unable to do so, have another family member do it for you! Do not wait because waiting can seriously hurt your chances on receiving compensation for your injuries.
2. Don’t just hire anybody from the phone book! Sure…all those phone book ads are enticing but they are really not the way to go. Ask your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors who they have used or personally recommend. Chances are you know a few people who have hired attorneys in the past to handle their own cases and they can recommend some good law firms to help you.
3. Don’t have money to hire legal representation? Hire a law firm that gives you a “free” consultation and one that doesn’t charge any fees unless you win. This will help to protect you financially should you lose your case. When hiring these types of firms make sure you read all of the fine print to make sure that you don’t pay a single dime unless you win!
4. If an insurance representative approaches you one-on-one with an immediate settlement offer do not take it until after you speak to a lawyer. Sure…these settlement offers sound great while you are lying there in pain & misery but do not take that offer unless an attorney tells you to. Once you agree to their offer you can not go back and get it adjusted!
5. Whatever offer you do decide to take make sure it states that any and all future problems you may have or incur due to that auto accident will be covered by them. Do not sign anything that states you will not pursue additional legal action from future problems stemming from the accident. You never know what might crop up a few months or even years down the road.
These 5 tips apply to everyone who has been in a major auto accident and looking to hire legal representation. You can find a great car accident lawyer all over the United States to help you manage your legal case.
SUCH good advice… man, wish I would have read this for my hubby before he found his lawyer! He wasn’t represented well. Great tips!
I have had to go through this and these tips are excellent. I really like what you wrote in #5 that is so true and something to really remember. They want you to settle as soon as they can so you will just go away you have to protect yourself and hiring and atty is the smartest thing you can do.