Minor car accidents, known as “fender-benders” happen every day. If you have been injured in a car accident, no matter how minor it may be, it is important to speak with an attorney to learn your rights and to find out if you may be entitled to compensation.
Simply because a car accident results in minimal property damage to the vehicles does not mean that the forces involved are insufficient to cause bodily injuries. In some cases, people involved in minor accidents can sustain serious injuries. California attorney Johann Hall has successfully handled many auto accident cases, from minor fender-benders to severe accidents. Contact attorney Johann Hall today to get started with representation on your personal injury claim.
Benefits of Having a Lawyer Handle Your Personal Injury Claim
There are many benefits to having an attorney handling your case for you. It allows you to focus on yourself and getting the medical care you need. With an fender bender attorney, you will have the peace of mind that your case is being worked on and that your attorney is communicating with the insurance companies on your behalf. Attempting to communicate with an adverse insurance company on your own behalf may seriously jeopardize your claim. As most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, there is no money to be paid upfront to your attorney. Your lawyer will simply be paid a portion of your settlement upon resolution of your case.
Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer—Higher Settlements and Bill Reductions
Additionally, under most circumstances, having an attorney negotiate a settlement on your behalf will yield a better overall result for you, even after attorney fees and costs are considered. An experienced attorney knows the true value of a case and can effectively point out the strengths in the facts of the case along with the important aspects of your medical records in order to get you the best settlement possible. In addition to achieving a higher settlement figure, your attorney may be able to negotiate bill reductions with your medical providers to give you a higher settlement net.
In some car accident cases, especially those involving minor damage to the vehicles (fender-benders), insurance companies will extend a small settlement offer immediately upon their insured notifying the insurance company of the accident. These offers are typically in the $500-$1,000 range. The offers are made in the hope that you—the injured party not at fault for the collision—accepts the money and agrees to release the claim without hiring an attorney or adequately considering the bodily injury.
Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer—Having Other Aspects of Your Claim Handled for You
Another advantage to hiring an attorney for your personal injury case is that your attorney can handle your medical payments coverage along with any underinsured claim you could have. While your personal injury claim will proceed under the at-fault driver’s insurance policy, the car insurance policy that you have may come into play as well.
Depending on the type of insurance coverage you purchased for yourself, you may be able to use the medical payments coverage portion of your policy. This is referred to as “medpay,” and it is money used specifically for medical bills related to a motor vehicle collision. You can use your medpay coverage whether or not you were at fault for the accident. Your attorney will be able to distribute the money recovered under your medical payments policy coverage in the most advantageous way in order to get you the most money overall in your settlement.
If the at-fault driver’s insurance policy does not fully make you “whole,” you may also have a claim with your insurance company under the underinsured motorist portion of your policy. This scenario occurs when the other driver has minimum coverage limits and even by tendering the full amount of the policy limit, the offer does not fully compensate you for your claim. If you have additional coverage under your policy for underinsured motorists, you may be able to make a claim under your own policy to recover additional money depending on the value of your claim. By having an attorney on your case, these additional aspects of your personal injury claim will be considered and your interests will be protected to the greatest possible extent.
If you have been injured in a car accident, even if it was a minor collision with minimal damage, it is still important to speak with an attorney if you are injured. Call California attorney Johann Hall today to discuss your potential personal injury case.