Car accidents are the most common types of personal injury cases. A large number of car collisions result in insurance claims against the driver who is at fault. The types of injuries involved in these cases as well as which insurance company is involved can play a big role in whether or not a car accident case gets resolved with the insurance company before or after a lawsuit begins.
Normally, the injured accident victim will provide the car insurance company with a large amount of information, which can help with getting the case resolved before going to court. The insurance company will normally need itemized medical bills and your complete medical records, your income information if you are making a claim for lost wages, pictures of your injuries, statements from eyewitnesses, and information from experts in accident reconstruction. Although this is a lot of information, it can help insurance personnel properly evaluate your case.
After an accident, you have no obligation to speak with an insurance company or anyone from the other side’s attorney’s office. It is common for many insurance companies to call an accident victim after an accident to ask them questions about how the accident occurred and what their injuries are like. This may seem innocent, but the questions are coming from a company that will most likely be responsible for compensating you for your injuries. These statements may be used against you in order to offer you a lower settlement, or even to reject your claim. Therefore, in most cases it is a good idea not to speak with anyone from the other side’s insurance company directly.
Instead of speaking with the insurance company on your own, you should consider writing a letter to the other driver’s insurance company letting them know about the accident. You should not include any details of the accident – instead, include your name, the date of the accident, and the location of the accident.
If your accident was simply a fender bender with no injuries and little damage to your vehicle, you may not need to speak with an attorney. You may be able to work out an acceptable settlement with the other driver’s insurance company. However, if there was a great deal of damage done to your vehicle, or if you suffered any injuries in the accident, it’s important that you at least speak with a personal injury attorney.
Many people are afraid to hire an attorney because they feel that they could get the same settlement without an attorney, and that the attorney will just take a large portion of the settlement in legal fees. Studies have shown that accident victims who are represented by attorneys on average get larger awards than those who are not, even after attorney’s fees are deducted. There are several reasons for this – one is that attorneys are taken more seriously and are offered better awards than those without attorneys. Attorneys also are aware of all of the damages to which their clients are entitled. Finally, attorneys can help put together a much stronger and more persuasive case about why their clients deserve a certain amount of money.
If you have been injured in an automobile accident in the San Francisco area, call the San Francisco automobile accident attorneys at Liberty Law. At Liberty Law, Micha Star Liberty and Seth I. Rosenberg believe that all accident victims who are injured in an automobile accident have the right to speak with an attorney of their choice. Call Liberty Law today at 415-896-1000 or 510-645-1000. We can help. Call us today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.
