Car accidents can be traumatic events, often causing serious injury, medical bills, chronic pain and suffering, lost wages, loss of transportation, and a total disruption to your life. When the accident results in fatalities, the pain and suffering from the loss of a family member or loved one can be devastating. The insurance company of the person at fault for the accident may attempt to settle claims early and before you’ve had a chance to consult with an experienced injury attorney, offering anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars as compensation. When insurance companies do this, they are hoping the injured parties will use bad judgment and not hire a lawyer. An insurance adjuster may even tell you that you do not need a lawyer, that the settlement offer you’re presented with is fair, and that the amount offered is the maximum available. Don’t believe it! The insurance industry estimates that the settlement value of any car accident claim increases significantly when an attorney becomes involved in your representation. That’s why so many insurance companies try to prevent accident victims from hiring an experienced car accident attorney. When a person decides to move forward on their own, they make mistakes and can suffer consequences in the future as a result of the following actions and inactions.
- Failing to demand payment for full medical costs
- Failing to demand payment for full future medical treatment costs – like potential surgeries or long-term prescriptions that are not known without an attorney hiring a medical expert to assist in estimating future treatment needs
- Failing to demand payment for full wage losses
- Failing to understand and demand appropriate damages and losses for pain and suffering, diminished quality of life, emotional distress, and estimating losses for chronic pain when conservative care is unsuccessful
- Failing to understand and demand appropriate damages for impairment losses under Colorado Law – a separate damage category that is compensable and requires your attorney to present these losses through additional hired medical experts
Most people have no idea of their legal rights after a car accident, or what kind of compensation they are entitled to – they also can find themselves in situations where they mistakenly settle their claims without an attorney and are brought to court in the future for not repaying medical bills and often debts incurred by the accident, long after the settlement money is gone. Many people are still in a state of shock soon after the accident occurs and unsure what losses they will ultimately incur. Many injuries may slowly develop following a crash and have yet to fully understand how serious their injuries will become in the days, weeks, months and potentially years that follow the accident, and exactly how the accident will affect their future quality of life. This is why signing any kind of legal release presented by the at-fault party’s insurance company is inadvisable. When you sign a release, you are taking a risk and could be giving up your rights and failing to preserve many aspects of your injury claim. Many states have banned direct contact between claims adjusters for the party that caused the accident and accident victims because of insurance companies manipulating, exploiting and taking advantage of people in the vulnerable days following a serious car accident and injury.
If you have been the victim of a car accident, you have a legal right to seek compensation for your losses. In order to do so, you’ll need a car accident attorney to effectively pursue a claim and potential lawsuit against the party or parties responsible. When you’re faced with an insurance company’s team of lawyers trying to settle your case quickly, you need someone who is experienced in these matters on your side to level the playing field and make sure that no money to which you are entitled as the victim of a car accident is left on the table. Keep in mind that not all personal injury lawyers are the same. Our highly skilled personal injury lawyers have received judgements and settlements in excess of $25 million on behalf of our clients, including millions of dollars in car accident cases. At Whalen Injury Lawyers, we work closely with you to ensure you receive the support you deserve and the representation you rely on in a car accident case.
When you need an experienced car accident attorney with a proven track record of success who will fight for your best interests, contact us today. We’re happy to provide you with a free consultation with one of our successful car accident lawyers to discuss your viable legal options. We look forward to helping you get the fair compensation you deserve.
