If you have been involved in a car accident, you are likely frustrated and confused about what steps to take next. You may hear from friends and family that you need to hire a lawyer but just aren’t sure what to do. At St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas, we specialize in car accident claims and have answered countless questions over the years from people who are unsure about the process and are seeking guidance.
When and whether to get a lawyer involved really depends on the circumstances of the accident. If you were at fault for causing the accident and received some type of ticket or citation, you may want to speak to a traffic lawyer to avoid points on your driver’s license. While some people hire private lawyers to defend the civil accident, this is not necessary because the insurance company will hire you a lawyer and pay for him or her. Next, if you are in an accident due to no fault of your own and you are not injured, it also does not make sense to hire a lawyer. In this scenario, it is likely that all your losses will be for damage to your vehicle and those issues can be handled between the insurance company without the necessity of lawyers. In the final scenario, you were not at fault for the accident and you have been injured. If you are in this situation, then it is time to speak to a lawyer immediately for a number of reasons that this article will address.
What Benefit Does a Lawyer Provide After a Car Accident?
There are two immediate benefits to hiring a car accident lawyer immediately after the accident. First, your lawyer will be able to deal directly with the insurance companies for you. Many of my clients complain that they are bombarded with calls from multiple insurance adjusters in the days after the accident. They don’t know who to talk to, the adjusters ask the same questions over and over, and they justifiably get concerned and frustrated. There can also be delays in the investigation and payout of the property damage claim that leads to concern. We find that often the at-fault driver’s company will delay paying a claim because they allege that their investigation is still open. Getting a lawyer involved can assist you with getting answers and providing the appropriate information to speed up the claim.
The second immediate benefit of hiring a car accident lawyer after the accident is to assist you strategically with your injury treatment. I find that all too often my clients are confused about their medical treatment at the outset of the case due to inexperience with the process. This confusion sometimes leads to gaps or delays in treatment or seeing doctors who do not specialize in car accident injuries. Both situations can lead to poor medical care and losing money on the claim. Our goal as car accident attorneys is to explain how insurance companies view your treatment and how it affects your case. We also know quality medical providers in your area that specializes in injuries after car accidents. By putting you in touch with knowledgeable and trustworthy people, we can learn the extent of your injuries quickly and keep your medical bills down.
How Does a Car Accident Lawyer Make a Claim for My Injuries?
Once we have learned the extent of your injuries and the doctors have come up with a plan for your treatment, we will evaluate the value of your claims compared to the amount of insurance available. For example, if you have back or neck injuries in the form of disc herniations or bulges, we know immediately that you have experienced a permanent injury. If the insurance policy is low, we may decide very quickly that your case is worth more than the policy. In this situation, we will send out a quick demand for the policy limits. However, in most cases, treatment lasts for months. If you only need conservative treatment like chiropractic or physical therapy, then your case should be ready for a demand in about 6 months. If you need injections, a radiofrequency ablation, or surgery, the case will clearly take much longer.
Our job as car accident attorneys is to submit a claim for every item of damages that you have incurred. These claims include a description of your injuries, pain and suffering, medical bills, future medical bills, lost wages, future lost wages, and perhaps even a diminished value for your vehicle. We spend a significant amount of time going through each case and speaking with our clients so that we can help the insurance company understand the extent of the losses.
St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas
Research has proven that people who hire lawyers recover much more than without one. This fact is true because the average layperson has no idea what the insurance companies are looking for in order to value a claim and important steps that provide value are not done. For example, if you handled a car accident claim on your own, would you know to ask your doctor for the cost estimate for procedures that he recommended but that you did not have performed? These cost estimates are important pieces to increasing the value of your claim even if you never intend to have any further treatment.
We specialize in car accident claims and give honest and straightforward advice. If you have been injured in a car accident and are questioning whether to hire a lawyer, feel free to call us. We will evaluate your situation and advise whether it makes sense to get a lawyer involved. Remember, our attorney fees are only paid if there is a recovery, so we want to take on cases where our clients have legitimate claims. So, if your situation does not require a lawyer’s assistance, we will tell you. We understand how confusing the claims process is after an injury, so you can rely on us as a resource to help you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident, then you should take the proper measures to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. Contact St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas today and speak with an attorney. For over 60 years our firm has been successfully helping people who have been injured due to someone else’s carelessness. We have been nationally ranked for decades by US News and World Reports as a Tier 1 law firm, which is the highest ranking that can be received. Sean McQuaid and Jonathon Douglas have dedicated their careers to continuing the firms legacy of superior legal representation.
Remember that we never charge a fee, unless we win. Call us today at 727-381-2300 so that we may answer your questions, help you navigate the complexities of insurance claims, and recover the compensation that you deserve.
We work hard to make sure each and every client gets the attention that they deserve. We appreciate feedback from our clients and reviews are validation of our work. Every 5-star review that we receive lets us know that our services were appreciated by our clients.
St. Petersburg Personal Injury Attorneys McQuaid & Douglas
5858 Central Ave suite a, St. Petersburg, FL (727) 381-2300
5 out of 5 based on 20 reviews
Sean McQuaid and Jonathon Douglas were voted best personal injury attorneys in Saint Petersburg, Florida for 2019.
