Injured In An Auto Accident: 3 Things You Need To Know About Hiring An Attorney

Life can quickly become confusing, stressful, and expensive after being injured in an auto accident. The good news is that an auto accident attorney can help you to deal with the aftermath of an accident and get your life back on track. However, far too many people fail to take advantage of these legal services, often citing common excuses as a reason why. Thankfully, the following three facts can help to put those excuses to rest so that you can enjoy all the benefits that come with hiring an auto accident attorney to represent you.

Fact #1: You Do Not Need Money To Hire An Auto Accident Attorney

Perhaps the most commonly used excuse for not hiring an auto accident lawyer is that they do not have enough money to cover legal fees. If you are worried about your financial ability to pay for these legal services, you should know that you truly are worried about nothing. Auto accident attorneys do not require upfront payment for their services. In fact, these attorneys will often help you to cover the costs of pursuing your claim. These costs along with any legal fees will be deducted from your settlement when the attorney wins your case. If they fail to win the case, you will not owe them anything for their services. This type of fee arrangement is typically referred to as a contingency fee. 

Fact #2: You Can Hire An Attorney Even If You Already Began Negotiating With The Insurance Company

Another common excuse that people use for not hiring an auto accident attorney is that they have already begun negotiating their claim with the insurance company or that they already informed the insurance company that they will be representing themselves. If you have been using this same excuse, you should know that you maintain your right to hire an attorney right up until the moment you settle your personal injury claim. In fact, you can still choose to hire an attorney even after you have settled the property damage portion of your claim as long as you have not received any payment for your injuries as part of this settlement. 

Fact #3: Being Partially At Fault Does Not Mean An Attorney Can't Help

It is quite common for both drivers involved in an accident to be assigned partial fault for causing the accident. Unfortunately, many people believe that an attorney cannot help with their case simply because they have been assigned some level of fault. If this is the case in your situation, you should know that as long as you are assigned less than half the fault for causing your accident, you still have a legal claim for damages. As long as a legal claim for damages exists, an accident attorney may be able to help you pursue this claim.