After suffering injuries in a car accident, your number one priority should be recovering your health.
But a myriad of other obligations can demand your attention and cause angst that only impedes your recovery.
For many, hiring a team of qualified Houston car accident attorneys can help them regain a sense of normalcy.
Your legal team can also answer questions, offer advice, and advocate on your behalf.
5 Ways the Right Houston Car Accident Attorneys Can Make a Difference
1. Relieve the Burden of Speaking to Insurance Adjusters
Insurance companies may try to convince you otherwise, but their number one goal is to make money.
Adjusters are well trained in the art of negotiation and will work hard to minimize what they pay in settlements. They’ll even go so far as to deny a claim.
It can be difficult for you, an injured victim with mounting worries, to ensure your best interests are protected and that you receive the full value of your claim.
In addition, a knowing adjuster may get you to make a statement or comment that could harm your chances of recovering compensation.
An attorney, on the other hand, can speak to insurance adjusters for you and:
- Handle all negotiations with skill and tact
- Manage claim details on your behalf
- Help prepare a carefully crafted written or verbal statement
- Fight for the compensation you deserve and represent your best interests
2. Calculate the True Value of Your Case
This is a difficult component of your case that demands the attention of experienced Houston car accident attorneys.
The settlement figure you seek must include a list of itemized losses and costs to represent the true value of your claim. If any loss is omitted or improperly calculated, you may lose important compensation.
To further complicate matters, insurance companies often toss lowball settlement offers at victims hoping they’ll accept.
But your lawyer will work hard to identify the full extent of your damages and refuse any settlement that doesn’t provide adequate compensation.
Monies lost in the past as well as in the future must be accounted for and will likely include:
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Medical expenses
- Future care needs
3. Prove Liability for Your Injuries
A successful auto accident claim depends on whether or not liability can be proven.
This may sound straightforward, but it rarely is. Parties involved in a car accident tend to shift blame, thereby making it difficult to prove the person or persons responsible for your injuries.
And proving liability is in and of itself a tricky task. The other driver may clearly be responsible for the accident, but you must show they were careless enough to breach a duty of care to you.
Your injury lawyer will examine your case and then work to prove the four key elements of negligence:
- The at-fault party owed you a duty of care
- That person breached their duty
- The breach of duty caused you to sustain injuries
- You suffered losses because of your injuries
4. Support Your Claim with Evidence
Individuals harmed by the actions of another can legally seek compensation.
But to increase your chances of a fair settlement, your case requires a fair amount of evidence. Television dramas often focus on one tell-all piece of evidence that’s missing.
Once it’s found, the case is solved and the guilty party faces immediate consequences.
Unfortunately, real-life cases don’t work this way. A top car accident attorney in Houston will need to sift through photos, reports, and more to craft a strong argument on your behalf. With this in mind, your lawyer may also need to:
- Consult medical experts to confirm the serious nature of your injuries
- Reconstruct the accident scene
- Gather medical records from all of your providers
- Interview witnesses
5. Explain Your Options
Apart from the big-scene tasks like proving liability and gathering evidence, your lawyer will also spend considerable time explaining the legal process to you.
Part of this includes helping you understand your settlement options. Few people know this, but most car accident cases are settled out of court.
The reasons are numerous – trials are lengthy and expensive, they don’t guarantee financial rewards, and they become part of the public record.
The point is that an insurance company will likely make you a compensatory offer (as mentioned earlier) to settle your claim.
Your lawyer will help you determine whether the offer is fair and, if not, negotiate for a better deal.
They’ll also help you understand the consequences of accepting any settlement – namely that doing so will close the case and render you unable to sue for the same damages in the future.
You can think of a car accident lawyer as your guiding light during a time of stress and tumult.
They’ll speak to insurance adjusters on your behalf, calculate the true value of your case, and prove liability for your injuries.
They’ll also support your claim with evidence and explain your options so you make the right decision for yourself and your family.
And in the meantime, you can focus on recovering from your injuries and rebuilding your life.