What Does a Car Accident Lawyer Do?

A car accident is a traumatic experience with long-term physical and financial impacts. Even minor injuries can quickly cause financial hardship when an emergency room bill comes due at the same time that the injury victim misses a paycheck. More severe injuries can cause extended financial damages due to disability. When the car accident was preventable if only someone else had taken reasonable care, the injury victim can recover compensation for the consequences of the accident—their “damages” in a car accident with a personal injury case.

Unfortunately, insurance companies are not on the victim’s side, despite their compassionate tones and sentimental ads. Instead, they protect their profits at the victim’s expense. After a car accident, hiring an Atlanta car accident attorney helps ensure the best possible outcome in your case.

Why Should I Hire an Attorney After a Car Accident?

Those who are fortunate enough to have never experienced more than a minor fender-bender with property damage to their vehicle may shrug off the idea of needing a car accident lawyer to navigate an accident claim, but when the accident involves severe injuries with costly damages, the case requires meticulous handling and assertive representation. Otherwise, the injury victim may walk away with far less than the full amount of compensation available to them. 

Insurance companies use many tactics to deny or devalue claims, beginning with reaching out with low settlement offers before the injury victim knows the extent of their damages, to disputing the doctor’s prescribed medical treatment. A car accident attorney is on the victim’s side, arguing for their best interests throughout the process to counteract common insurance company tactics with a strong strategy.

How Does a Car Accident Lawyer Help?

After an accident, hiring a car accident lawyer means you can direct all communication with the at-fault driver’s insurance company to your attorney who can easily anticipate and intervene on your behalf. A car accident attorney charges no upfront fees. Instead, they only charge for their legal counsel after securing your settlement or court award for your damages. 

A car accident attorney does far more than paperwork. A skilled accident attorney does the following:

• Investigates all aspects of the accident by examining the police report, talking to eyewitnesses, reviewing photos and videos, and consulting with accident reconstruction experts so they can convey a clear picture of how the at-fault driver caused the accident to the insurance company
• Examines the medical report and consults with medical experts to carefully calculate your economic and non-economic damages to claim the most compensation available
• Sends a well-executed demand package to the insurance company
• Negotiates with the insurance adjuster assigned to the case, seeking a settlement so you avoid court
• Takes the case to court if the insurance company undervalues the claim or wrongfully denies it

About 95% of car accident claims end with a settlement when a personal injury attorney in Atlanta handles the accident victim’s claim. Otherwise, your car accident lawyer will represent you in court. Court cases may take longer than settlements, but often result in larger compensation checks thanks to sympathetic juries.

What Can a Car Accident Attorney Help Me Recover?

Car accidents are expensive as well as traumatic. Common damages recovered when a car accident lawyer handles a claim include the following:

• Property damage to repair or replace a vehicle
• Reimbursement for medical expenses
• Future medical costs for further treatment
• Lost income
• Future income loss/diminished future earning capacity
• Compensation for pain and suffering
• Compensation for any other non-economic damages that apply such as loss of limb, loss of one of the senses, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, or PTSD

If a car accident causes a loved one’s death, a car accident lawyer in Atlanta can recover compensation for a close family member through a wrongful death claim.