Many car accident victims ask whether they actually need an attorney to help them with their injury claim. The simple answer is “yes.” There are several reasons for this. First, there are certain legal requirements that have to be met in order to preserve all of your rights under your own insurance policy, and the insurance policy of the person that caused your accident. Unless you keep up on the current state of the law, you will likely miss important deadlines, and lose benefits you otherwise may have been entitled to.
In addition, when you submit a claim to an insurance company, you will be dealing with a professional insurance adjuster. An insurance adjuster is a person who handles car accident claims on a daily basis. Most likely, you don’t. This alone is a reason to hire an attorney who handles car accident claims.
What Happens When I Hire a Riverview Personal Injury Attorney?
So what happens when you hire an attorney? Although we cannot speak for other law firms, at SouthShore Injury Attorneys we want you to focus only on getting better, and we will take care of the rest. In addition to reporting your claim and speaking with the insurance company, we will:
- Gather Medical Records – Your medical records will play a big role in the value of your case. While your help may be needed in securing some of your records, the team at SouthShore Injury Attorneys works to make the process go smoothly with as little work for you as possible. Other records may need to be gathered, such as documentation of lost wages.
- Create a Settlement Evaluation – We create a written settlement evaluation for all of our clients. This document gives you an overview of what we believe to be the value of your case after reviewing your records and comparing it to similar cases. Your settlement evaluation is not a guarantee of an outcome, but it does provide you with our in-depth analysis of your case’s potential value. Your approval of the settlement evaluation allows us to begin the next step.
- Send a Demand Package – This is essentially the complete documentation regarding your accident along with a demand for financial compensation based on the settlement evaluation. We will take care of dealing with the insurance adjuster and inform you of the response we receive.
- Negotiate – Not every case settles before trial, but there is a time during which we will negotiate on your behalf with the insurance company. These negotiations will usually go back and forth for some time. It could take many, many months. And if a resolution that is fair for you doesn’t look likely in the negotiation stage, we will take the next step if appropriate.
- Filing Your Case – This is the actual act of “suing” someone. We would file your case with the appropriate court and start the process of going to trial in motion. We go to trial on a regular basis, so we have no fear of filing your claim. Make sure that whomever you hire to handle your case feels the same way.
Can Any Attorney Handle My Florida Personal Injury Claim?
There are many attorneys out there that hold themselves out as “General Practice” attorneys. These are attorneys who practice in many different areas of the law. They may handle business disputes, divorces, traffic tickets, DUI’s, along with the occasional personal injury claim. While they are likely very competent, the simple fact is that no attorney can keep up on the nuances of multiple areas of practice. Because of constant changes in the law, these attorneys end up researching as they go, meaning they learn the law depending on the type of case they are handling at the time.
Today, it’s important to have an attorney that specializes in the area of law you are dealing with. Then, you can be confident in the fact that the attorney is up to date with all the legal issues. You will also have more confidence in your attorney knowing that they have devoted their practice to helping people who have been involved in the same or similar situation that you may be facing.
If I am Injured in a Riverview Car Accident, Is There Any Guarantee That I Will Recover for My Injuries?
Some attorneys may try to assure you that you will recover money in your personal injury claim. Others may even go so far as to guarantee that you will recover a certain amount or range of money in your claim. These are attorneys that you should stay away from. In any personal injury case, there is no guarantee that there will ever be a recovery, let alone a recovery for any particular amount. Although an attorney may have, through his/her experience, a good idea as to the value of your claim, or as to the likelihood of the success of your claim; ultimately, however, the decision as to how much will be offered is up to the insurance company. If the insurance company does not want to pay, or it does not want to pay enough, you will have no other option but to file a lawsuit. You may then have to rely on a jury to decide the fate of your case. It is important to know that NOBODY can guarantee what a jury will decide, no matter how great you may believe your case is.
Free Information
If you have questions about your Florida accident case, you can download our Free Reports:
- What You Must Know if You Were in a Car Accident;
- The Ultimate Guide to Florida Slip and Fall Cases; and
- 5 Medical Mistakes That Will Destroy Your Personal Injury Case
which are available on our website, or you can click the link provided. You can also contact us at 813-797-5998 to talk directly to a Riverview personal injury attorney now.
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