While hiring a car accident lawyer for a minor accident is not required, you should consider doing so to protect yourself.
While hiring a car accident lawyer for a minor accident is not required, you should consider doing so to protect yourself.
Consider the following scenario: As you're driving to work or exiting the grocery store parking lot, something unexpected occurs. Another vehicle collides with yours. Should I just exchange insurance information with the other driver and both of us be on our way, do you think? Should I engage a vehicle accident lawyer in the event of a small collision?
Even if the accident was minor, it may be in your best interest to hire a lawyer based on how it occurred, the damage to the vehicles, and any potential injuries.
The Injuries Could Be Higher Than You Think
When another motorist hits you in a small car accident, you may believe that all you have to do is file a claim with your insurance company or the other driver's insurer, receive a check to fix the vehicle damage, and put it all behind you.
However, the truth is that it is not always that simple. If you sustained an injury that did not manifest itself immediately after the disaster, what may appear to be a small vehicle accident might evolve into a significant legal struggle that you may not feel prepared to fight on your own.
Accidental Injuries You Might Have Suffered
Motor vehicle-related injuries bring more than 2.3 million individuals to the emergency room each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, you may still feel an adrenaline surge after a minor vehicle accident and assume you are unharmed, so you do not seek medical attention right away.
as a result of a minor car accident, you may have had injuries that might not manifest themselves for days or even weeks. Chronic pain can emerge from these injuries, which may necessitate long-term therapy and rehabilitation.
Injuries to the soft tissues
Muscles, tendons, and ligaments are all affected by soft tissue injuries. Even low-speed collisions can produce a significant amount of force. Drivers may slam on the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a rapid stop and jerking the neck back and forth violently. Whiplash is a condition that can be caused by this motion. Symptoms may not appear for several days after an injury, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and may include:
- Neck stiffness and edema
- Neck ache that worsens with movement
- Fatigue
- Spasms of the muscles
- Headaches
- Shoulder ache
- Arm tingling or numbness
- Loss of memory
Head Injuries
- Headache
- Confusion
- The ears are ringing.
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Vision is blurry.
- Drowsiness or exhaustion
After a car accident, see a doctor.
Damages, both economic and noneconomic
You should not be responsible for these costs if another motorist caused your injuries or vehicle damage in a minor car accident. Through an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit, you may be able to recover compensation for your losses. You may be entitled to monetary damages, including but not limited to the following:
- Medical expenses
- Wages that have been lost
- Damage to property
- Loss of earning potential
Noneconomic (intangible) damages may also be compensated, including but not limited to:
- Suffering and pain
- Anguish in the mind
- Loss of pleasure in life's activities
Keep in mind that if you employ a car accident lawyer and file a personal injury claim for a minor accident, you only have a limited amount of time to do so. Every state has its own deadline for filing a case, known as the statute of limitations. If that time restriction expires, you may lose your chance to seek for damages for your losses and injuries in court.
After a minor car accident you have to follow these 4 steps:
- Even in small accidents, always pass on driver information!
- Take images of all vehicles involved in the collision.
- As soon as possible, check for injuries.
- Contact a vehicle accident lawyer if you have been harmed.
Yes, You should hire a lawyer, even if the car accident is minimal. Here's the deal: This question is more about your injury than it is about the vehicle accident. If you have been wounded (or injured) in a traffic accident, you should contact a lawyer as quickly as possible..After a difficult day, you find yourself at a red light. suddenly! Another driver who was not paying attention hit you. They all exited the vehicle to inspect the damage. You're both relaxed, and your car is hardly damaged. It's been a hard day, so you decide against filing a police report or exchanging information with the other. Hey, do you really do need to find and hire a lawyer after a minor car accident?
Are you going to make a hubbub out of this? Perhaps we can put it all behind us and go on with our day. After all, you want to get home, and the last thing you want to do is stand on the side of the road bothering other vehicles, furious and emotional...so go for it.That is the first and most serious error you can make.
It is illegal in most jurisdictions not to report a car accident to the police, even if it is only a fender bender. It is illegal to enter and then drive away. It makes no difference if you believe you were not wounded or the vehicle was not damaged in any manner. An accident is still an accident, even if it's a little vehicle collision.
It can also be difficult to get the facts straight once you leave the accident scene. Even small car accidents can have catastrophic consequences. Consider whether or not you want to engage a lawyer following a small vehicle accident. You should think about phoning the cops before leaving a crime scene.
You may have just broken whatever claims you had against other drivers, regardless of the legality of the situation. Even if your car is in good condition. The issue is as follows:
Hidden Injuries
According to studies, a person might sustain several injuries in a small vehicle accident that do not manifest for days after the incident. You're smacked from behind, you scarcely shiver, and you're in good spirits. You don't appear to be hurt, and if you were, you'd notice - right?
Not all of the time. A fractured bone, a tear, or even a head injury are all common examples of "injuries." Our thoughts shifted to more serious, life-altering situations. Discolored tendons, strained ligaments, and bruising aren't commonly considered, but they should be.
You can wake up with severe back pain tomorrow or the next day if your body pushes forward, your neck bounces back, or you quickly move forward. The rush of adrenaline that follows an accident can obscure the extent of the harm. Most personal injury lawyers in Fort Lauderdale would advise you to consult a doctor as soon as possible to ensure you are not suffering from a hidden injury.
Even if you have a doctor on your side, it will be difficult to take your personal injury case to court if you drive away from a crime scene and don't report it to the police or your insurance company (or both).
The other person
What if you exchange information with other drivers, shake hands, and go about your business without notifying the authorities of a small car accident?
You're summoned to court a few weeks later because "another" person has filed a case against you. You know they're to blame, and you know the injuries and property damage claims they make are exaggerated, if not outright fake. Do you recall the time you decided to leave without filing a report? You've reached the point when "they say, they say" is no longer an option.
In truth, the majority of these clothes will not get you very far. The other eventually left the crime site. But, when you know you're right, do you really want to deal with the inconvenience and effort it takes to answer to a subpoena, potentially attend a hearing, and argue on your behalf? You probably have more important things to do!
"Don't admit faults, and don't divulge policy boundaries," says another wise adage. Here's a quote straight from Geico Insurance's website. Be cautious about what you say and do.
What to do after a minor car accident
Perhaps you and the other person were not able to avoid the minor car accident. Perhaps you have slight damage to one or both of your automobiles, prompting you to question yourself and file a police report. Your insurance company receives a report, and the other party is found guilty. You accept a settlement offer from your insurance carrier. This appears to be the simplest and will allow you to repair your car more quickly.
But hold on a second. Comparison is insufficient to repair your car, and you believe you have been damaged, possibly by whiplash!
An insurance company is a business, and they're looking out for their own interests, not yours. If you accept a settlement from an insurance company, the documentation may specify that you are waiving your right to pursue legal action in the future. It's not unusual for consumers to feel that insurance firms provide fair services - and it's also very uncommon for this to be far from the case.
Before agreeing to a settlement, even for a minor vehicle accident, you should have a personal injury attorney analyze your case! They can assist you in obtaining the maximum amount of compensation for your case. You won't have to pay out of pocket for your car or medical expenditures this way.
However, don't forget these ten things to avoid following a car accident:
- Leaving the scene of an accident without calling the cops: As we indicated before, leaving the scene of a small vehicle accident without calling the cops is a huge error. In a minor vehicle accident litigation, the police report was used to assist a judge in awarding the plaintiff reasonable damages.
- Failure to collect evidence at the crime scene: Take as many images as possible, collect as many phone numbers as possible, and question as many witnesses as possible, then let your auto accident lawyer figure out what is valuable and what is worthless. At the accident scene, gather as much evidence as possible.
- Admit your mistakes: Never admit your mistakes, even if you believe you caused a minor vehicle accident. The truth is that, from your perspective, you have no way of knowing who is to blame; all you want to know is what happened in order to create your opinion. Never admit to making a mistake. Instead, consult with your attorney and the police to determine who is at fault and how much of the settlement is your obligation.
- Don't go to the doctor: You should consult a doctor as soon as you suspect you've been hurt in an accident. If this is not the case, and you are wounded in a minor car accident, it will be difficult to attribute your injuries to the event rather than to normal wear and tear, making compensation more difficult to receive.
- Do not use personal injury protection (PIP): Keep in mind that the state of Florida mandates you to use personal injury protection (PIP) to secure your safety in the event of an automobile collision. If you are in a small car accident, you are not required to use this insurance policy.
- Insurance firms that you don't understand: Remember that insurance companies are primarily a company that exists to earn money, which means that they want to raise and hold as much money as possible while -in theory- cashing out as little as possible. When you file a claim, they endeavor to decrease it as much as possible.
- No Police Report Examine: You must check the police report to ensure that the facts contained in it are accurate and that you agree with them. If you disagree, do everything you can to get your voice heard as quickly as possible and make any necessary modifications before signing.
- Accept the first settlement payout that comes your way: The first check and offer, as with most discussions, is the smallest amount you believe the insurance company can offer to match your request while ensuring they don't make an overpayment at their discretion. Expenses and try to save as much money as possible when dealing with automobile accidents.
- Make your own argument: While you may believe that a minor automobile accident does not warrant the services of a car accident attorney, we can confidently state that clients who engage an experienced attorney earn three times larger settlement checks on average than those who do not. Hiring his car accident lawyer is a good idea.
- Not Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer: We believe it is in your best interests to hire a car accident lawyer as soon as possible for all of the reasons mentioned above and more.
Attorneys are free
Wait, any lawyer will cost you money, but practically every personal injury lawyer works on a contingency basis. This implies the fee will be deducted from the bill they receive on your behalf. So you owe them nothing if they don't negotiate a deal for you!
Even better, during the case review, the majority of people will chat to you for free. You can schedule a consultation with an expert automobile accident lawyer to review the settlement offer you received and to learn more about your legal options under Florida law.
This means that the cost of engaging a lawyer isn't the decisive factor. It also means that you should contact a vehicle accident lawyer as soon as possible following the collision. You stand to gain a lot more than you stand to lose.
Also read:
When to Hire a Lawyer After a Car Accident
