If you were recently involved in a car accident, often the problems are overwhelming. Car accidents can happen at any time and when they do, you have to confront the issues that you will face.
However, a car accident settlement can reimburse you for all the losses you have incurred. Additionally, the settlement money can pay for physical trauma, lost wages, psychological trauma and also the replacement cost of your vehicle.
Where Does The Settlement Come From?
If you are the victim of a car accident, your insurance company and the other driver’s insurance may be responsible for compensating you for the damages. If you caused the crash and have collision coverage on your vehicle, your insurance company will pay pursuant to your policy of insurance to repair your vehicle.
If the entire cost of repairing your vehicle will be more than the value of your vehicle, the insurance company will total the car and payout a lump sum depending on the value.
If the car accident was caused by the other driver’s negligence, his/her insurance company will be responsible for your losses which include, pain and suffering, injuries, and other damages. However, the amount offered here might be a little less than your expectations. Note that, it’s challenging to put a fair price tag on your pain and suffering. However, a good lawyer will know what is fair to settle your case.
Is Hiring A Lawyer A Good Idea?
Yes, working with a car accident lawyer is a good idea if you want to receive reasonable compensation. The attorney’s job would be investigating and making your case presentable to a court. If handled properly, your case may not have to go to trial but can be settled as the insurance company for the other driver might see that your lawyer did a great job in presenting your case. It’s likely that the attorney will bring out a lot of facts that you might have missed previously. Investigation preparation knowledge and experience by your lawyer is key.
The settlement for the repairs on your vehicle as well as your medical bills will be determined by the amount you paid. Your attorney should help with the negotiations to come up with a fair amount for your pain and suffering. Remember, your damages include your injuries which might be permanent and lifelong.
Remember, the insurance company will often offer less than your case might be worth. The insurance company will assign the matter to an adjuster, an employee of the insurance company to evaluate your case and the insurance companies’ risk involved. Your attorney will negotiate with this adjuster and it is important that your attorney does an effective job in presenting your case to the adjuster.
Everything about the car accident needs to be properly documented and your attorney will help with that. Your attorney will contact your doctor and obtain the records and a report which includes his opinion. Your doctor’s opinion is important because if he is called to court, he will again render his opinion as to your injuries including any permanency and whether it was caused by the accident.
You don’t necessarily have to go through the court system to get a settlement for your car accident injuries. There are cases where the insurance company and attorney will reach a suitable agreement. There are a lot of factors that help determine the average settlement for a car accident.
These include the type of injury, nature of the injury, permanency of the injury, degree of disability, loss of enjoyment of life, length of therapy, treatment plan, the severity of the wreck and loss of income. There are many other factors that are important and should be appreciated by your personal injury attorney.
How Is The Car Accident Settlement Calculated?
An experienced personal injury attorney/car accident attorney will be able to evaluate your claim. He will do this based on his experience and knowledge that he has obtained from many years of practicing this law. Byron Lassin has this type of experience. He has been practicing personal injury law for more than 40 years. He has handled thousands of cases. It is important that your attorney has gained knowledge of these types of cases from those he has handled but is important he understands the results of jury trials where monetary awards have been made in accident cases.
A car accident attorney, like Byron Lassin, will be able to evaluate your claim based upon the type of injuries you have sustained in the accident, based upon the degree of disability you have sustained, based upon the psychological damage associated with the injury you have sustained, based upon the lost wages you have sustained and based upon the permanent nature of your injuries. There are additional factors and that an experienced car accident attorney will consider in evaluating your claim and making a proper presentation to either the insurance carrier or the court.
Typically in NY State, you have 3 years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit. There are exceptions. Sometimes a notice of claim must be filed within 90 days. There are various other types of limitations and requirements that may be necessary to be successful in a car accident lawsuit. For example, sometimes a timely police report is necessary. The rules for accident cases, accident lawsuits are very complicated and time limitations can be very strict. Therefore, you should contact an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible.