If you’ve been in a car accident, then you’re most likely wondering what the next steps are. You’ll be looking to get fair compensation for your injuries and your damages, and you may wonder if it’s possible to do this on your own. Taking your case on alone is possible, however, hiring a car accident lawyer is always a better call. Contacting your local Houston, TX law firm for help will ensure you get the best settlement offer.
An experienced attorney will be able to alleviate the pressure of dealing with and the insurance claims process, and we’d like to share a few ways that we can help ease that burden.
Why You Should Consult a Car Accident Lawyer in Houston, TX
1. Your Case May Need Investigation
Sometimes you’ll get into a simple car accident where someone backends you and it’s caught on camera. Other times the accident is more complex, and you’ll need help to prove that the other party was the one at fault. Hiring a Houston, TX car accident lawyer will help you secure the evidence you need to prove what happened, why it happened, who’s at fault, and who needs to pay for it.
Lawyers are experts at conducting in-depth investigations efficiently, and this will help you get the evidence you need to support your claims when seeking a good deal and settlement offer. Our attorneys are excellent at tracking down information about your case. If there’s a security camera or witness to be found, then we’ll find it. If we need your hospital records or a statement about your car from your mechanic, then we’ll get that for you.
2. Your Lawyer Knows the Law
You may have a good idea of how this process works. The law regarding property damage and personal injuries can often seem simple at first glance. However, complications lurk around every corner, and you may under up with a driver who doesn’t want to take responsibility for your injuries or an insurance company that doesn’t want to pay out fairly.
In cases like this, you’ll need a lawyer who has a deep understanding of the law, insurance contracts, and your rights. We can then pursue compensation aggressively, because we’ll have proof that you’re in the right, and we’ll show the insurance company and the court that the law is well and truly on your side.
3. Your Case May Not Be Straightforward
The process of claiming insurance is usually straightforward, but it won’t always be so simple. An insurer may try to take advantage of your lack of knowledge of your insurance policy or the law, and that will make things difficult for you. Even if you’re well-read and know a lot about your policy, there’s almost always going to be something that you don’t know, and this gives the insurance company away to harm you in the case.
Insurers don’t want to pay out. They want you to know as little as possible about your policy. However, your insurer is unlikely to give you lowball offers, violate your rights, or delay your claims if you have a highly experienced attorney representing you. Insurance companies know that we lawyers don’t mess around, and we’ll aggressively pursue what our clients are entitled to until we get the outcome that the client deserves.
4. Your Attorney Can Represent You in Court
Some insurance claims can be handled easily over the phone or through a few emails. However, other times you’ll need to file a personal injury suit, as the insurance claim is not enough. Filing any kind of lawsuit is incredibly daunting, and it’s even more daunting when you get into the courtroom with nobody to represent you.
Your lawyer will represent you in court, but we’ll also take care of all the administration and paperwork for you. In some cases, we’ll be able to attend many of your court appearances on your behalf, and you’ll only need to show up in person for the trial itself or a handful of specific hearings. We want to relieve the pressure of this case from you, and we’re happy to do that by doing whatever we can to make this easier on you.
5. Your Settlement May Require Some Negotiation
Once you jump through all the hoops and finally get a settlement that seems acceptable, it’s time for negotiations to start. The first settlement offered after we defend you won’t always be 100% fair, but it may be close to fair. An attorney will help you get the final negotiations fleshed out so that you end up with a truly fair settlement.
We know what you’re entitled to based on our experience dealing with cases similar to yours. We can spot lowball, disingenuous, or adequate but not great offers from a mile away. Even getting an extra few thousand dollars can be an immense help if you’ve suffered a personal injury and property damage, and we don’t want to let you walk away when we know that you should be getting more.
6. Your Lawyer Is Your Advocate
You can often end up feeling like nobody is on your side during a settlement case, but that’s not true when you have an attorney by your side. We do our best to make you feel like we’re your biggest advocates even in the simplest of cases, and that can be a major morale booster when you’re struggling with the aftermath of your accident.
We’ll be your champion whether you’re presenting your case to a judge or tackling a lowballing insurance company head-on. We’ll also fiercely represent you if the other party involved in the accident tries to lie about what happened, and we won’t stop until we win for you.
At What Point Should You Hire a Lawyer?
You should hire a lawyer very early on in the process of claiming a settlement after your accident. Don’t leave the site of your accident, until you call the police and make note of everything that happened. Ensure injuries are taken care of, and then you can call your insurance company and let them know what happened. Consult a lawyer right after you do this, and at the very least we’ll be able to look over the settlement that your insurance company offers you.
Having a lawyer early in the game will ensure you’re ready if anything unfavorable happens; for example, your insurance company presenting you with an abysmal payout offer comes to mind. You don’t even need to hire us straight away—you can simply request a consultation when your insurance company offers you a settlement, and we’ll let you know if we feel the need to take your case further and represent you.
Insurance Companies Won’t Always Be on Your Side
Knowing that your insurance company isn’t always going to be on your side is the most important piece of information you can hold onto as your case goes on. However, your lawyer always will be. Our attorneys have ample experience, and we hate letting clients down, so we do everything in our power not to do that.
If you’re looking for an attorney to represent your case, then contact Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner. Request a free consultation, and let us tell you the best moves to make regarding hiring one of our attorneys to take on your case.