You were not expecting it – nobody ever is – but it happened. You were in a car accident, all through no fault of your own, and now you are hurt. You are suffering from a serious car accident injury, and you need medical help. You are not sure how to pay for your treatment, especially if you are missing work and losing money. You think, “Should I hire a car accident injury attorney?” but you have your doubts. Maybe friends and family are whispering into your ear that “You should just handle the whole thing yourself” or “Lawyers are too expensive” or “It’s too much of a hassle.” Everybody is all too happy to give you unsolicited advice about car accident injury claims, which can confuse you even further and send you spinning in all sorts of directions, especially if you’ve never been through anything like this before. But it is important to keep in mind that much of this “advice” is likely ill-informed or based upon hearsay. As a quick primer, here are the top three myths about car accident injury claims:
MYTH #1: “I Can Just Negotiate with the Insurance Company by Myself”
While it is certainly true that you can negotiate with the at-fault driver’s insurance company yourself, it does not necessarily mean that you should do so. In fact, it is possible that negotiating by yourself could minimize the value of your car accident injury claim. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that this is your first car accident; it is almost certainly not the insurance adjuster’s. Your average adjuster has likely negotiated hundreds of car accident claims or more, many that are very much like yours. That puts the adjuster at an advantage and you at a disadvantage. He or she knows the ins and outs of the insurance claims process, what a claim like yours may be worth, and, most importantly, how little he or she can offer to make your claim go away. What may seem like a good settlement offer to a novice might actually be pennies on the dollar to an experienced insurance adjuster. Moreover, the adjuster can simply deny liability entirely, preying upon your relative ignorance of the law in the hopes that you just give up on the whole thing.
This is where an experienced personal injury attorney brings value. Like the adjuster, a seasoned attorney has also negotiated hundreds of car accident claims or more, many also very much like yours. He or she has a reasonable idea of what a claim like yours might be worth and will fight to obtain or exceed that amount. And an experienced car accident attorney knows the law and can bat down any specious objections that the adjuster might raise. Remember: Fighting a multibillion-dollar insurance company is a David vs. Goliath proposition. A capable attorney can be your slingshot.
MYTH #2: “Car Accident Injury Attorneys Are Too Expensive”
It is completely reasonable, when considering hiring anybody for a service, to wonder “What is this going to cost me?” This worry is understandably heightened when you are thinking about hiring an attorney. You may be a fan of legal television shows like Suits or How to Get Away with Murder, with fast-talking lawyers in lavish offices throwing around terrifying talk about billing hundreds of dollars an hour. “What if I go through this whole process and it doesn’t work out, and now I’m stuck with medical bills AND huge attorney fees?”
However, unlike most other practitioners in the legal profession, personal injury attorneys, like the ones at GWC Injury Lawyers, work on what is known as a “contingency fee basis.” What that means is that there is no cost to you up front. Only when the case is resolved successfully will the attorney take any payment in the form of a percentage of the final settlement. The personal injury attorney typically assumes all of the initial costs, preventing you from incurring any expenses in the event of an unsatisfactory outcome. This further incentivizes the attorney to maximize your settlement amount because the more you get paid, the more the attorney gets paid, and if you don’t get paid, the attorney does not get paid. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement that removes the upfront worries and stress for the injured client, which brings us to another common myth:
MYTH #3: “This Is Too Much of a Hassle”
The prospect of getting the financial compensation you deserve for the injuries you suffered can seem daunting. You are already worried about your future health and all that you have to do to become whole again. Do you really need the added stress of trying to obtain the money you are owed from the insurance company of the driver who put you in this terrible situation in the first place?
But that’s exactly why you SHOULD hire an attorney to work on your behalf. An experienced car accident injury attorney can take on the burden for you, can take the stresses off of your shoulders and place them upon his or her own. You have enough to worry about already. Your main focus should be getting well again. Let your attorney negotiate the sometimes frustrating process of pursuing a just settlement from the insurance company, one can cover the cost of your current and possible future medical expenses. Your goal is to become healthy. Your attorney’s goal is to make the responsible parties pay so that you can afford to do so.
For these reasons and so many more, people who have been injured in auto accidents often find that they benefit from the help and guidance of an experienced attorney, like the car accident attorneys at GWC Injury Lawyers, Illinois’ largest Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation law firm.
With more than $2 BILLION having been successfully recovered by our attorneys for our clients, the Chicago car accident injury lawyers at GWC can provide the experience and determination to fight for the justice that you deserve.
If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident or in some other way, please contact GWC today to schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys. Call our office 24/7 at (312) 464-1234 or click here to chat with one of our representatives.
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