When you are involved in a car accident, those first few moments after the accident can be surreal.
Despite knowing you just collided with another vehicle, it could be difficult to believe that you are now potentially facing a damaged or destroyed car and significant injuries. Even in less extreme situations, you could still find yourself facing major expenses after a car accident.
To determine the scope of these expenses and how you can pursue just compensation for them from the negligent driver’s auto insurance provider, you should schedule a legal consultation with an experienced Austin personal injury law firm.
Do not worry about the cost of your legal consultation. At the personal injury law firm, , your initial consultation with an attorney is completely free. It is also completely confidential. Call us now at .
How Can an Austin Car Accident Lawyer Help Me?
Working with an experienced car accident lawyer can help you in many ways when it comes to seeking compensation after a crash that was caused by another.
Although it is certainly possible for you to file and pursue your personal injury claim on your own, you can potentially make an expensive mistake in doing so. You could even potentially cause your claim to be denied.
A car accident lawyer’s ability to help his or her clients comes from experience. Your attorney can make sure all the details of your case stay organized and that you do not miss a deadline. Your attorney can also help you in the following ways:
- Determining which pieces of evidence you need. A successful personal injury claim needs support. This support is the evidence you can provide that shows how your accident happened, how it was caused by another party’s negligent or reckless actions, how you are now suffering and the financial cost of your suffering. Depending on the type of compensation you seek, certain pieces of evidence might be more important for your claim than others. For example, if you are seeking compensation for lost wages, you will need to provide proof from your employer that you missed a substantial amount of time at work to recover and that your lost time is worth the amount of money you are seeking in your claim.
- Developing a legal strategy. Your personal injury attorney knows what works and what does not. He or she can also determine which legal strategy can work best for you due to your case’s unique circumstances. Your attorney can discuss how you should interact with the insurance provider and review any settlement offers you receive in order to determine whether they are appropriate for your expenses or not.
- Negotiating on your behalf. This is another key way a car accident attorney can help his or her client. Attorneys know how to negotiate with insurance providers. They can protect their clients from possibly harming their own claims by taking over this part of the personal injury claim process.
Preparing for your Legal Consultation
You can maximize the benefits of your legal consultation with an Austin car accident lawyer by preparing for it. You should get a folder ready, with all the relevant documentation you have of your accident, injury and resulting expenses.
The documents in this folder might include:
- Photographs
- A copy of the official police accident report
- Your medical bills
- Documentation of your lost wages
- Contact information for the other driver
- The other driver’s insurance information
- Contact information for any witnesses to the accident.
Knowing which questions to ask before you go to your consultation can also help immensely. It might help to write them down on a note card or sheet of paper that you can refer to during the meeting.
Some questions to ask include:
- Do you work on a contingency fee?
- Do you have experience handling cases like mine? What were their results?
- How long will my claim take to resolve?
- Do you think my claim might have to go to court?
What Do I Need to Know About a Car Accident Consultation?
One of the most important things you need to understand about personal injury claims in Texas is that Texas is a “fault” state. This means that when you are injured in a car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, you need to go through that driver’s automobile insurance policy to seek compensation for your losses rather than your own policy.
Another issue to keep in mind is Texas’ comparative negligence law.
Comparative negligence laws are in place in most states. However, how they are applied can vary from state to state. Texas follows the doctrine of modified comparative negligence using the 51 percent rule.
This rule means that when two or more parties are involved in an accident in Austin or elsewhere in Texas that causes one or more of them to be injured, any party who is found to be 51 percent or more responsible for the accident may not recover damages. In other words, a party must hold half of the responsibility or less for his or her accident in order to be eligible to recover compensation.
Why does this matter to you? Because your attorney can play a key role in proving your level of fault in your accident and can challenge any attempts by an insurance company to place an undue amount of fault on you.
By knowing how a personal injury claim works in Texas, you can take a more active role in pursuing your claim. This knowledge can empower you to make the right decision when interviewing potential attorneys to handle your case.
Get Help Today from Our Austin Car Accident Lawyers
Since 1959, has served Austin, Texas by providing quality legal representation for our clients working through personal injury and business claims.
When you need an experienced, compassionate car accident attorney in Austin, TX to handle your claim, contact our law firm. When you call, schedule your free legal consultation with a member of our team to go over the next steps in your car accident claim.
Please keep the points discussed above in mind as you enter your consultation and, as relevant questions come up, never hesitate to ask them.
