How Do You Know It’s the Right Time to Call a Lawyer After an Accident?

We’ve all seen billboards and other ads where personal injury lawyers brag about how many accident victims they’ve helped. We know that many times, attorneys can make a huge difference in the outcome of a personal injury case. But when you’ve been in a collision with a car, truck, or motorcycle, or you were hurt because of a danger on someone’s property, you don’t have a lot of time to think about calling a lawyer. You’re busy trying to deal with injuries and struggling to put your life back together. There may be a nagging voice in the back of your mind pestering you with questions:

• Should I call a lawyer?
• Should I wait? Does something need to happen first?
• Is it already too late?
• Is there anything a lawyer can even do for me?

These are very reasonable questions, but you won’t find the answers online. That’s because every question depends on the unique circumstances of your case. You need to talk to a lawyer to find out whether and how an experienced personal injury attorney can help in your situation. So the right time to call a lawyer after an accident is as soon as you can. Here’s why.

An Attorney Can Prevent You from Getting Tricked by Insurance Companies

While we don’t want to alarm you, there is every reason to be worried about your legal rights after an accident. Most of the time, the person at fault, such as a vehicle or property owner, will be covered by insurance. They will report the accident to their insurance company, and that company will get their legal team working right away. Their goal is to do everything in their power to prevent you from recovering much, if anything, for your losses.

And they are very good at their jobs because that’s what they focus on all day, every day. They will try to shift liability onto you if possible. At the very least, they will work to minimize any amount that you do recover. You need to understand the pitfalls and how to avoid them. For instance, an attorney can help you avoid saying something that could be twisted and used as an admission of liability. Or if you’ve hired an attorney to represent you, your lawyer can handle all the communications with the insurance company so that you don’t have to worry about it or be pestered by their questions.

An Attorney Can Help Ensure That You Receive Proper Medical Care

Did you know that the most important thing you can do to help yourself legally and financially after an accident is to prioritize your health? An experienced personal injury attorney will tell you this right off the bat, and may be able to help you steer you toward the right medical care and provide assistance with care costs. You need to get a thorough medical exam and be sure to follow the doctor’s instructions. In other words, put your health first. 

This helps give you the best chance of making a full medical recovery, but it can also help with your financial recovery. Getting a timely exam can provide evidence of your injuries and how those injuries are connected with the accident.

If you don’t have medical insurance and are concerned about the cost of care, an attorney may be able to help you find doctors who will assist you now in exchange for a promise to have fees covered from the legal recovery later.

An Attorney Can Help You Collect Evidence

No matter how severely you have been injured in an accident, you still need to prove that someone’s negligence caused the accident, or you won’t be able to recover compensation. You prove negligence with evidence, and evidence is not always easy to obtain. For instance, you can take photographs of the accident scene, and that can be very helpful. But an attorney will know how to dig deeper to uncover evidence from security cameras and traffic cameras. If an outside party could be involved, such as the maintenance company that did faulty work on a truck, an attorney can use discovery tools to reveal the connections and uncover evidence of mistakes that were made.

The best time to begin collecting evidence is right after the accident, so if you work with an attorney immediately after your accident, your legal team can start collecting evidence to build your case for financial recovery while you focus on your physical, mental, and emotional recovery.

An Attorney Will Explain the Situation

You do not have to worry about whether it is the ”right” time to contact an attorney. As noted above, there are many ways an experienced personal injury lawyer can help right from the start. If your accident is one where an attorney may not be able to assist, the attorney you talk to will explain why. 

While we can’t speak for other law firms, at Michael M. Day Law Firm, we offer free case evaluations where you can speak with us with no obligations or costs. You have nothing to lose, so we urge you to call us as soon as possible after an accident. If, for some reason, we will not be able to help with your case, it’s better to know that sooner rather than later. If we can help you, we will work to make sure that all deadlines are complied with so that it won’t be too late to pursue your best claim for damages.

Call Michael M. Day Law Firm if You’ve Been in an Accident

If you or a loved one were injured in any type of accident that could have been caused by someone else’s negligence, the team at Michael M. Day Law Firm may be able to help you obtain full compensation for the losses you’ve experienced, including your pain and suffering. But before we can determine anything, we need to talk to you. So give us a call now at 404-480-4284 or contact us online to set up a free, no-obligation consultation and case evaluation.