A car accident comes out of the blue. When the Florida car accident lawyers at Flaxman Law Group talk to collision survivors, drivers often say that their accident happened in seconds and was completely unexpected.
While you can’t predict when a crash will happen, statistics show that most drivers on the road are in at least one crash during their driving careers. There are things you should prepare yourself for after a crash. You can count on these:
Expect Other Parties to Try to Reduce Their Liability
Even if the accident was not your fault, you can expect that the other driver or the other driver’s insurance company will claim that you were at least partly liable if not entirely at fault. No one wants to admit fault and in many cases trying to determine what really caused an accident is difficult.
Since so many car accident claims turn into finger pointing, it’s important to work with a qualified attorney to make sure you understand who the liable parties really are.
Expect Delays and Problems with Your Insurance
Drivers faithfully pay their car insurance premiums, and of course when they are injured in a car crash they expect their insurer to help. It’s important to understand that insurance companies are beholden not to their policyholders but to their shareholders. The investors who pay for shares in the company expect high returns on their investment, so insurance companies have a vested interest to resolve claims inexpensively to please shareholders.
Even if you have a very positive experience with your insurance company, if you have a large claim to make you can expect that you may get an offer for less than your case is worth or you may face other difficulties. Working with an attorney provides you with a layer of protection. Your attorney may negotiate on your behalf and seek the fairest compensation possible. Your lawyer can also contact insurers for you, so you don’t have to.
Expect It to Cost More Than You Think
Many car accident survivors underestimate how much their injuries and losses will cost. It’s often surprising how much car repairs, medical costs, and other expenses cost. Even something as simple as a broken bone, from which you may expect to recover fully, can end up costing tens of thousands of dollars or more in lost income, medical care, and incidental costs. Because it can cost more than you think, it can be valuable to get an evaluation from an experienced car accident attorney, who can tell you how much your case may be worth.
Expect Changes to Your Life
Car accidents are one of the leading causes of post traumatic stress disorder and can leave you traumatized for a long time. Even if you seem to walk away from an accident with no injuries, you may get a surprising medical diagnosis of whiplash, soft tissue injuries, or other injury.
Dealing with the insurance paperwork, the claim, and the medical care can take a big bite out of your working hours and your income. Even a car accident that leaves you with injuries from which you expect to fully recover can upend your life for months.
Expect a Need for Legal Support
The expense of a car accident, the way it can impact your life, and the difficulties you can expect to encounter after a crash are all good reasons why you may want to consult with an experienced traffic collision attorney. An experienced vehicle accident attorney has seen it all. They have seen at-fault drivers blame the other driver for an accident. They have seen insurance companies act in bad faith. They know exactly what to do to seek compensation in your case. They take care of the details, so you get to focus on recovering from your accident.
The Flaxman Law Group is available 24/7 at 866-352-9626, so if you need a lawyer we’re always a call away. Our offices in Miami, Homestead, and Hollywood have helped thousands of injured Floridians across south Florida and if you’ve been injured we’re happy to offer a free, no obligation case consultation so you can speak to an attorney about your specific situation.