No matter where you are when it happens, getting into a car accident is always going to be a stressful experience. Between getting your car fixed and making insurance claims, even the most minor fender bender accident can take hours of your time to resolve.
When the car accident is more serious in terms of property damage, injuries or fatalities, the time it may take to put it behind you automatically stretches into weeks or months and sometimes years. Because California has chosen to assign driver fault as a part of handling the insurance settlement process, this is especially the case here in our state.
For that reason, you may be starting to wonder if now the right time is to talk with an auto injury attorney about your case. If so, you may have questions about whether any lawyer can help you or if you need a Los Angeles accident attorney. Let’s find out! Check here, https://westcoasttriallawyers.com/ca/los-angeles-car-accidents-lawyer/
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When to Ask a Personal Injury Lawyer for Help Settling Your Claim
If your accident was relatively minor – perhaps just a fender bender where no one was hurt and property damage was minimal – you are less likely to run into any significant issues with insurance claims.
But since California is a fault state, sometimes issues can arise. For example, perhaps the other driver initially said they felt fine but then a few days or a week later they suddenly started submitting claims for medical reimbursement. This is a good sign that it is time to reach out to a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer to take over your case.
When your auto accident involves more significant property damage to your vehicle and/or other vehicles, it is always smart to schedule an initial consultation with an auto accident attorney.
If you or someone else was injured as a result of the auto accident, or if it occurred inside a designated construction zone or if there was a fatality, do not delay. Contact an auto injury attorney right away.
How to Find the Best Auto Personal Injury Lawyer For Your Needs
Most people get into their car and drive nearly every single day of the year. Vehicles are essential to get around in many parts of California and can be hard to even imagine life without them!
But most drivers will also be involved in at least one, perhaps more than one, auto accident during some point in life. These incidents are always memorable and never in a good way.
The rarity of auto accidents in most people’s lives also means you probably won’t feel confident or even competent to know when and how to reach out for legal help when you need it. Maybe you have never even talked to a lawyer before, let alone hired an attorney.
So how do you know which lawyer to choose? Will any attorney do or do you need to pick a specialist?
It surprises most people to learn that the legal field operates quite similarly to the medical field. In other words, there are generalists and there are specialists.
Some attorneys simply represent their clients for anything they need. These are generalists. Other attorneys only work with certain types of cases and become experts in a certain field of law. These attorneys are specialists.
An attorney can do both as well. For example, an attorney can work as a generalist but also have a certain specialty, such as traffic law in California. It is up to each attorney to decide how they want to structure their practice and what area of the law interests them most.
It is vital to know this when you are in the midst of a complicated car accident claims process and you don’t seem to be getting anywhere doing what you know how to do. Because here, you need a professional who knows things about California traffic law and the car accident claims process that you don’t know. So here, what you need is a auto injury attorney specialist.
An attorney who specializes in California traffic law spends the greater part of every day immersed in all things traffic law. That attorney is well-versed in what the law says and how to interpret it correctly to best serve their clients. That attorney will also know exactly how auto insurance companies handle claims reimbursements and all the ways their legal teams try to shift fault so as to avoid paying out claims.
If it sounds intimidating to go it alone against a huge auto insurance company and their big team of attorneys, this is normal and natural. But it isn’t intimidating to a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer because this type of specialist does it every day.
What to Look For When You Select an Auto Accident Attorney
The first trait you want to look for when choosing an attorney to handle your auto insurance case is expertise. You want to know that past clients are happy with the customer service they received and that the law firm supports its clients 100 percent.
The best way to determine whether the attorney you want to contact has a favorable reputation is to simply do an internet search for their name and the law firm’s name. But make sure you learn about the specific attorney and not just the law firm itself.
Next, you want to pick an attorney that can see you relatively quickly – within a few days’ time. After all, your case needs attention sooner rather than later and more delays won’t get it moving any faster.
You also want to make sure the attorney offers a free initial consultation which is the industry standard. Attorneys offer a free consultation up front to make sure you have a claim and it is something they can assist with. Any reputable attorney will take the time to talk with you before agreeing to represent you and they won’t charge you for this!
Make sure the attorney is someone you feel like you can really talk to and trust. This often boils down to more of a gut feeling than a “head thing.” Even if your research tells you that this is a great personal injury lawyer with a great reputation and amazing customer service, ultimately you need to feel like this is someone you can trust to represent your interests with integrity and excellence.
Finally, you don’t want to wait too long to choose your attorney, since the longer you wait the more time the insurance company has to find new ways to delay your settlement.
Do You Need Help Settling Your Car Accident Case?
Settling even a minor car accident insurance claim in the state of California can be surprisingly challenging. Unlike in many other states where fault does not factor in to the insurance claims process, California has a lengthy and complicated process for assigning fault and overseeing payouts and reimbursements.
If your settlement has gotten stalled out and you can’t get any answers from your insurer or the other parties, a Los Angeles accident attorney can help. Contact West Coast Trial Lawyers for additional information and to schedule your free initial consultation.