When Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?

Rear end car accident - When Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer? While there is no law stating you must hire a Mississippi car accident lawyer after being involved in a collision, there are benefits to doing so. More often than not, victims of Mississippi car accidents will hire a car accident attorney to handle their case so they can focus on their own physical recovery.

There is no right or wrong time to hire a car accident lawyer as you are legally entitled to seek counsel at any time during your claim with the insurance companies, or during a personal injury lawsuit.

Keep in mind that no auto accident lawyer can promise you a specific outcome for your case–be it the total compensation you’ll receive from the insurance companies or the verdict that will be reached by a judge.

What a car accident attorney can do for you though is help build your case to ensure you get all the compensation that you deserve. This includes investigating the accident’s cause, gathering evidence, and negotiating with the insurance companies or representing you in court, depending on the route your case takes.

If you are asking yourself when should I hire a car accident lawyer, learn how Giddens Law Firm, P.A. can help you and your family.

Hiring a Car Accident Attorney When You File An Insurance Claim

Following a car accident, you will need to file a claim with your insurance company or the other driver’s insurance. However, under Mississippi’s pure comparative negligence rules, know that the insurance companies are only going to provide you coverage for what was not your fault in the car accident.

This means that if you were at fault for the collision 20%, your total compensation will be reduced by that–or you will get 80% of the compensation.

Sometimes, filing a car accident claim with the insurance company can become even more complicated than determining fault. Complications can occur when you or the other driver does not have car insurance. This can make issues for you when it comes to financial recovery.

Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit with a Car Accident Lawyer

Car AccidentRegardless of your coverage and the other drivers in your car accident, sometimes the maximum amount of compensation the insurance companies are willing to give out will not be enough to cover your damages. When this occurs, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver to recover the remainder of your damages.

Further, so long as you are still within the state’s statute of limitations. which in Mississippi is three years from the date of the collision, you can also move forward with a personal injury lawsuit if you feel like the insurance companies are not fairly compensating you for your injuries.

In order to pursue a personal injury lawsuit, there are a number of criteria you must meet. First, there must be the presence of negligence by the other party that led to the car accident, caused your injuries, and resulted in the damages you sustained. This is proven through the economic and noneconomic damages you have endured.

A Mississippi personal injury lawyer can help you quantify these losses through medical documentation, property damage estimates, and the level of pain and suffering you have endured.

Further, you will need to establish the fault of the other party. Your lawyer will look for any elements of negligence that exist such as:

  • Reckless driving
  • Speeding
  • Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  • Distracted driving
  • Aggressive driving

Sometimes proving these extenuating circumstances can be difficult, especially if proper documentation did not occur at the car accident. The sooner you hire a car accident lawyer, the stronger your case may be.

How the Severity of Your Injuries Can Impact Your Need For a Car Accident Lawyer

Whether you are filing a car accident claim with the insurance companies or filing a personal injury lawsuit, the severity of your injuries will greatly come into play.

Injuries Impacting Insurance Claims

If the other driver does not have insurance or the policy is not enough to cover the losses you sustained, the severity of your injuries will likely determine what your next move is.

In some cases where your injuries are not severe, it may just require further negotiations with the insurance companies to get you the compensation you need to move forward. But, if you suffered severe injuries, you may need to file a lawsuit to get the money you need to cover your losses.

Injuries Impacting Lawsuit Success

In a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) more than 2.5 million people went to the emergency room and roughly 200,000 of them were hospitalized in 2012 because of a car accident.

While these numbers have remained rather constant throughout the years, the cost of healthcare following a car accident has only increased.

The National Safety Council estimates the average cost for a car accident in 2020. These expenses include:

  • Death: $1,750,000
  • Disabling Injury: $101,000
  • Evident Injuries: $$29,200
  • Possible Injuries: $23,900
  • No Injuries: $12,800
  • Property Damage Only: $4,700

This means that even if you only suffered minor cuts and bruises, you still will have expenses for getting checked out by a physician. All of which can be rather costly depending on your own coverage and what the insurance companies are willing to handle. In many cases, a personal injury lawsuit can be the only way to get the full value of your losses recovered.

How Can A Giddens Law Firm Car Accident Lawyer Help Me?

If you have been hurt in a Mississippi car accident and now are struggling to balance all of the costs associated with your injury, the Giddens Law Firm can help you secure the compensation you need to recover from your losses.Fatal Car Accident

Our compassionate and dedicated team can guide you through the process and help you with the following:

  • Gathering evidence from the accident by conducting in-depth investigations, reviewing the police report, securing your medical records, and collecting witnesses’ testimonies and other evidence from the scene of the accident.
  • Recreating the accident to show what caused the collision and who was at fault.
  • Building your case through the evidence and surrounding circumstances.
  • Negotiating with the insurance companies.
  • Representing you in court should the case go to trial.
  • Keeping you up to date on all communications throughout the process and guiding you through any questions and concerns you may have.

Injured in a Mississippi Car Accident? Call the Giddens Law Firm Today.

Being involved in a car accident can derail your life in more ways than one. From the physical damage caused to your vehicle that you now have to handle to the emotional trauma and severe injuries, you may face–it can all be too much to handle on your own.

While you never are required to seek legal representation, hiring a car accident shortly after the collision occurs can prove incredibly impactful on the outcome of your claim, or your lawsuit.

At the Giddens Law Firm, our lawyers can represent you from start to finish, be it in negotiations with the insurance companies, or before a judge in a personal injury lawsuit.

We know that these are stressful times, let us handle the legal process so you can focus on your health and well-being.

If you are still wondering when you should hire a car accident lawyer, contact us at the Giddens Law Firm for a no-obligation free consultation by calling (601) 355-2022 or by connecting with us online.

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