When you are injured in a car accident, it can be a truly life-changing experience. Car accidents happen with alarming frequency in the United States and the numbers are continuing to increase daily. Unfortunately, car accidents can happen to the most careful of drivers. The reality is that car accidents happen to everyone at some point and it is important to be prepared to deal with the aftermath.
Why Do You Need a car accident attorney?
When you are injured in a car accident, you will need to go to the doctor, which will bring about medical bills. The cost may not be completely covered by your medical insurance. In addition, you may have to miss work while you recover. If you don’t receive a decent settlement from the accident, your life may be changed forever. Insurance is designed to make sure that you can pay for your medical bills and time you miss from work.
In addition, your car is your way of getting to work, running errands, and driving your children to school. After a car accident, your car may need extensive repairs and you will need a rental car. Insurance covers these costs after an accident.
You should never lose access to repairs or medical care that you need and insurance companies often try to pay as little as possible. This is where an experienced attorney will help you. Your car accident lawyer in Mobile, Alabama will stand up for your rights and make sure that you get the best possible settlement.
What Qualities to Look for in an Accident Attorney
You are putting your future in your attorney’s hands and it is important that you hire the best possible person to represent you in your accident case. Look for the following characteristics in an attorney:
- Extensive Experience and Expertise:You want to make sure that your attorney has a great deal of experience in the field of car accidents. Look beyond the claims on the attorney’s website and make sure that he or she has handled car accident cases similar to yours with positive results for his or her clients. Your attorney should have a track record of negotiating with insurance companies and settling cases.
- Rate of Success:An attorney can have all of the experience in the world but if he or she loses every case, there is a strong likelihood that those results will be the same for you. Make sure that any attorney you are considering has a track record that includes successfully settling with insurance companies in favor of his or her clients. The best car accident lawyer in Mobile, Alabama will get you the most compensation possible to deal with the aftermath of your car accident.
Types of Car Accidents in Alabama
There are many types of car accidents and each type is governed by different laws and regulations. The amount of compensation that you are entitled to will vary from type to type and it is really hard to know what you deserve without the help of an experienced attorney. Take a look at the following types of accidents.
Fatal Car Accident:Alabama has alarming fatal car accident statistics. They show that drivers in this state are two times as likely to die in a car accident as people in the rest of the country. Most car accidents are a result of the following:
- Weather
- Inexperienced and elderly drivers
- Intoxication (DUI)
- Recklessness
- Distraction
- Driving while tired
- Car or road flaws
Fatal car accidents can lead to a wrongful death claim. You need a car accident lawyer in Mobile, Alabama to help with this as it requires an experienced professional to navigate the intricacies of the law. There are two aspects to these claims:
- Fault:The fault must be assigned to someone other than the loved one who has died, including the driver who caused the accident or the vehicle manufacturer.
- Insufficient Insurance:In cases where the at fault driver has insufficient insurance, an attorney with experience knows how to find assets for your claim.
Drunk Driving Accident:When you are the victim or a drunk driver, you need an attorney to help you file a lawsuit against the drunk driver and recover damages. The attorney can help prove the following:
- The extent of intoxication of the driver
- Negligence due to intoxication or impairment
- Negligence that led to accident
- Damages that were caused by the driver’s intoxication and negligence
It is important to hire an attorney because you may be able to recover medical expenses both past and future, lost wages and an inability to earn (reduced income earning capacity), damages to vehicle and items inside, expenses related to recovery, and expenses for pain and suffering. You are entitled to receive compensation for all of this if you are the victim in a drunk driving accident.
Texting While Driving: It is no secret that texting while driving is a growing problem on the roads.
Drivers who are texting are significantly more likely to cause an accident. You do not need to suffer in silence if you are a victim of this kind of accident. An experienced attorney can help you recover expenses for injuries and repairs as well as damages. Your attorney needs to prove that the other driver was texting at the time of the accident, which can be accomplished through cell phone records, eyewitness accounts, and police reports.
Rear-End Accident:A rear-end accident is an accident where you are hit from behind.
These are one of the more common types of accidents and they are caused by distraction (texting), the weather, and other issues on the road. Your lawyer will help you receive compensation for this kind of accident. He or she will prove that the driver acted dangerously or negligently to cause the accident due to texting, distraction, failure to obey traffic laws, or reckless driving. In addition, your lawyer will show that you were harmed by the accident, physically, emotionally, financially, or in some combination.
Hit-and-Runs: This type of accident is actually a felony when it leads to death or injuries of a victim.
If you have been involved in a hit-and-run accident, your attorney will fight for your right to compensation for medical expenses, damages, and pain and suffering caused by this accident. If you have underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage on your policy, your attorney can help you recover expenses even when the hit-and-run driver escapes.
Uninsured Drivers: If you have been in an accident and the other driver doesn’t have insurance, you can file a claim through your uninsured motorist coverage.
This feature is not required for drivers but if you have it, it will protect you in this kind of accident. You need an attorney who is experienced in dealing with insurance companies to make sure that you receive the settlement that you deserve for this accident.
Advantages of Hiring a car accident attorney
When you look at all the different kinds of accidents, you can see that hiring a car accident attorney is the right choice to make after being involved in an accident. These attorneys have years of experience and they know all of the nuances of the law. They will be able to meet with you and tell you what kind of compensation you are able to receive.
Being in a car accident is overwhelming enough and insurance companies will take advantage of you in an effort to minimize their payouts. You need to focus on getting your car to the shop (or replaced) and getting healthy after suffering injuries from an accident. You shouldn’t have the added stress of worrying about how to pay the medical bills or the car repairs.
If your loved one dies from another driver’s negligence or blatant disregard for safety, you have rights and a car accident lawyer in Mobile, Alabama who has been working in this field with a successful track record can help you receive the compensation that you deserve.
Insurance companies often try to take advantage of victims. They will make an offer within days of the accident and you won’t know the extent of your needs yet. It can take time for the full impact of the accident to show itself and these companies know that.
Steps to Take After an Accident
If you are the victim of an accident, you need to hire an attorney right away. Do some research to make sure that any attorney you consider has independently confirmed successes and years of experience in dealing with insurance companies.
Make sure that you do not speak to the other party or the insurance company before you hire your attorney. When you are overwhelmed, it is easy to make innocent statements that can hurt your claim at a future date. The reality is that you won’t know the full extent of your injuries or the damage to your car until some time has passed so you don’t want to say anything that you will need to refute later.
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