Five Key Reasons Why You Should Speak to a Fresno Personal Injury Lawyer Immediately After Getting Hurt
In the aftermath of an accident in which you or a loved one experienced injuries, damages, and losses, you undoubtedly have questions both of a medical and legal nature. On the legal side of the equation, you likely realize that you will need to pursue a claim for injuries and other losses you sustained in an accident caused by the negligence of someone else. With that in mind, you may find yourself internally debating whether to pursue an insurance claim on your own or with the professional assistance of a Fresno personal injury lawyer. The fact is that there exist five key reasons why you should speak to a Fresno personal injury attorney immediately after getting hurt in an accident:
- Insurance claim settlement process commences directly after an accident
- Insurance companies engage in claim settlement practices designed to limit liability
- Meet challenges associated with opposing legal counsel
- Enhance compensation by retaining a Fresno injury lawyer
- Obtain an objective case evaluation
Insurance Claim Settlement Process Commences Directly After an Accident
A paramount reason why you need to speak to a Fresno personal injury attorney immediately after getting hurt is because the claims settlement process commences right after an accident occurs. Many people believe that they can work through the claim settlement process without legal representation. They believe that they can pursue a claim effectively without hiring a Fresno personal injury attorney.
The reality is that an injured person is better served by having a tenacious Fresno injury lawyer on his or her side. With this in mind, there are a number of important points to bear in mind about the insurance claims settlement process and legal representation:
- You are not legally obligated to answer questions put to you by a representative of an insurance company following an injury causing accident.
- When a insurance company contacts you following an accident, if you have retained a personal injury lawyer Fresno, advise the person that reaches out to you that you have legal counsel and provide the name of your lawyer.
- If an insurance company representative contacts you before you have hired a personal injury attorney Fresno, advise that person you are hiring a lawyer and will not answer questions until you meet with a lawyer.
- If a representative of an insurance company pressures you to answer questions or “make a statement,” firmly and civilly decline. (The request is most likely to come through a phone call. Once you firmly and politely decline to answer questions and advice of the insurer’s representative to talk to your lawyer, end the call.)
Insurance Companies Engage in Claim Settlement Practices Designed to Limit Liability
Another reason why you should speak to a Fresno accident lawyer immediately after getting hurt is because of the manner in which insurance companies engage in certain types of claim settlement practices. Specifically, insurance companies utilize a myriad of claim settlement tactics, including what fairly can be classified as unfair claim settlement practices, if order to limit the amount of money paid out to an injured person following an accident.
Brought into a claim and case early or proactively, a capable Fresno injury attorney brings a wealth of experience in dealing with even the most unscrupulous of insurance companies. An attorney with a background in representing personal injury clients knows how to counter and push back against insurance company claim delay and claim denial strategies. These illicit strategies include:
- Insurers that employ tactics that are designed to make the claim settlement profess drag on indefinitely to pressure an injured person to accept a low-dollar claim.
- Insurance companies that use practices that attempt to improperly speed up the claim settlement process, this scenario designed to pressure an accident victim to quickly accept a low-dollar payment and not appropriately deliberate about what a claim really is worth.
- Insurance companies that misrepresent material facts and insurance policy provisions associated with a claim for compensation.
Meet Challenges Associated with Opposing Legal Counsel
Yet another reason why you want to speak to a Fresno personal injury lawyer after getting hurt in an accident is because such an attorney is able to meet the unique (and sometimes persistent and pervasive) challenges associated with opposing legal counsel. An experienced Fresno personal injury lawyer has the background and skillset necessary to match the machinations of an attorney working for ani insurance company or the party that actually causes an injury causing accident in the first instance.
Enhance Compensation by Retaining a Fresno Injury Lawyer
One of the benefits of immediately hiring a Fresno injury lawyer is because representation is highly likely to enhance or raise the level of compensation in an accident matter. Understandably, many people believe that hiring a lawyer in a personal injury case is expensive. The reality is that in nearly all case in which a Fresno personal injury lawyer is retained, the compensation ultimately obtained by an injured person is going to be higher that would be the situation if an injured person represented his or her self.
An additional note on attorney fees charged by a typical Fresno personal injury law firm is important. The typical practice is for a Fresno injury lawyer to use what is known as a contingency fee agreement. Through this type of agreement with a Fresno injury attorney, a victim of an accident pays no legal fees unless the case is won. The ultimate amount of attorney fees is a reasonable and agreed percentage of any settlement or judgment.
Obtain an Objective Case Evaluation
A truly valuable benefit associated with speaking to a personal injury lawyer Fresno immediately after getting hurt in an accident is obtaining an objective case evaluation. A seasoned personal injury lawyer has the experience and training necessary to provide a useful, unbiased evaluation of the worth or value of the case. In simple terms, a Fresno accident lawyer is able to advise you what type of compensation might be expected in a case like your own, that historically has paid out in some cases similar to your own.
An attorney cannot make promises or make specific proclamations of what you can expect in the way of compensation in your case, legal counsel can provide you with historical and his or her professional evaluation about what to expect generally speaking in the pursuit of a claim or lawsuit. A lawyer is set apart from an injured accident victim in this regard. Human nature makes it very complicated for an injured person to objectively consider the level of compensation that might be available in a case. Moreover, a layperson simply does not have the experience and training to develop a truly meaningful assessment of his or her own Fresno personal injury case.
The door to speaking to a Fresno personal injury attorney immediately after getting hurt is opened by scheduling what is known as an initial consultation. It is during an initial consultation that legal counsel provides an overall case evaluation.
During an initial consultation, you are also able to obtain answers to other types of questions associated with your claim and to garner other crucial information from a knowledgeable Fresno injury attorney. As a matter of common practice, a Fresno personal injury lawyer charges no fee for an initial consultation and case evaluation with an injured accident victim.
