Life is complicated enough. When a car accident happens, it adds an assortment of hardships. You may have suffered injuries, insurance adjusters are asking questions and medical and other accident-related bills are piling up. On top of this, your car may be damaged and not usable for the foreseeable future. That may be when you start asking yourself when you need to call a lawyer for help.
Some car accident victims may be hospitalized, and this question is placed squarely in their family’s lap. For others who have never needed an attorney’s help before, it means looking through a myriad of legal ads and web pages to determine who to call. It is critical to determine if you need an attorney, whether the time is right, and finally, who you should call. Let’s look at this more closely.
Start Your Los Angeles Lawsuit with Attorney David Azizi
David has been helping residents of Los Angeles for 25 years to obtain the justice and compensation they deserve. Many times, he answers the same question from clients – do I need a lawyer. There is no easy answer, so he encourages the caller to schedule a free, no-obligation case consultation, so he can review the accident and provide a solution to a beleaguered victim.
At the end of the meeting, David will be able to give the person with the options they have going forward and give them an estimate of what their case is worth. He offers compassionate advice that gets to the heart of the matter. Call him at (800) 991-5292 to set up an appointment. David wins 98 percent of his cases. He does this by getting to know his clients and doing everything he can to win.
Should I Sue?
The answer to this question involves many factors. For instance, who was at fault for the accident? Was anyone injured, and what sort of property damage occurred? Does the other driver, assuming they were at fault, have insurance? These may seem like straightforward questions, but there are many nuances. The only one who can answer the questions is an attorney. That is because he or she has seen similar scenarios many times before and knows how they played out. In addition, an attorney knows the pitfalls regarding collecting the damages you deserve and how to avoid them.
Insurance Company
The insurance companies are always working to save money. That means they might offer to pay you quickly after the accident. While in some cases, this offer is adequate to cover the damages you incurred, that is not always the situation. Attorneys will tell you that the initial costs related to an accident injury are nowhere near the final amount you will owe. This is due to late onset of symptoms or additional needed treatment that was not apparent right after the crash occurred.
If the victim accepts the money offered by the insurer, any further treatment or other expenses will not be covered. That is because when an insurance company payment is made, the recipient must sign a paper that states the amount includes all costs related to the accident. If something arises after this, such as needed surgery, it will not be paid for. It is important to make sure that everything that might happen after an accident has occurred before accepting the payment. Insurance companies know this and try to use the victim’s need for funds to achieve their own goals.
How to Decide to Sue
To make an educated decision, it is necessary to have a detailed account of everything that happened and use the insight an attorney can impart. Let’s start with the information you need to collect:
- Start at the accident site: Get all the necessary information. This includes driver insurance and contact information. Obtain the contact information of all occupants in the vehicles involved in the accident as well as that of any witnesses. Get pictures of everything, such as the placement of the cars, mile markers or street signs to place where the crash occurred, skid marks and damage to your vehicle and that of others.
- Medical expenses: Make copies of every medical expense you have. That means both prescription and over-the-counter medications, physical therapy costs, medical assistance items such as wheelchairs or crutches, bills from doctors and surgeons, the emergency room, cost of obtaining medical records, hospital bills and X-rays and lab costs. Anything that is involved with your medical care is counted, including the cost of getting to and from doctors and hospitals. If you were transported by an ambulance, this sometimes exorbitant cost is included in what you might recover.
- Property Damage: If your car is damaged, this can cause significant problems for you. For starters, you won’t have a car to get to work or anywhere else. You might rent a car but that might come as a cost to you. You can be reimbursed for rentals. However, it is important to keep all records of the rental. Sometimes, your own insurance company will pay the rental cost; however, if the accident was due to someone else’s negligence, your insurer will want to be reimbursed. An attorney can help ensure that the cost will not become an issue for you.
How an Attorney Can Help
An attorney will have your best interests in mind. He or she knows how to deal with insurers and negotiate to obtain a higher payout. They have the experience to know what the case is worth, and work hard to settle for a just price. The attorney will investigate the accident, including police records, inspect the accident site and obtain medical records if you do not already have them. In some cases, a medical expert will be consulted to make sure there are no surprises after the negotiations conclude. If the insurer fails to honor their obligations, the attorney will take the matter to civil court.
Final Lawsuit Decisions That Need to Be Made
One of the most important decisions you will make is who will represent you. To get a handle on which lawyer best fits the bill as well as finding out how clients and other lawyers perceive them, go to Avvo or Super Lawyers. Once you have found a possible candidate, call his or her office, and schedule a case review. The attorney will sit down with you and go over the case from start to finish. It is essential to bring as much documentation as you can. They should answer your questions and will ask a few of their own.
You have the right to ask what the lawyer thinks of your case, how many similar cases they have handled and what plan they might formulate if you retain them. If you feel comfortable with the attorney and are pleased with client reviews, you should discuss the retainer agreement. If the lawyer is uncomfortable doing this, then perhaps they are not right for you.
The Law Firm of David Azizi
David believes in transparency, so from the moment you meet him, you are able to ask as many questions as you need to. David understands that you are putting your future in his hands, and he wants you to feel comfortable at the least. In short, there is no legal question he won’t answer.
He is honored by Super Lawyers year after year when they call him one of the top personal injury lawyers in Los Angeles. His clients second the company’s opinion. Call David at (800) 991-5292, and schedule a free case review. Get to know him. He will provide you with your options and give you an estimate of what your case is worth.
