Can I handle my Missouri car accident myself? Springfield Personal Injury Lawyer
The answer is: Maybe. The bigger question is should you?
After a Springfield Missouri car accident, your first priority should be to get better as much as possible. Just remember it is just as important to protect your legal rights.
Attempting to handle a complicated legal claim without the benefit of an attorney in your corner is usually not a good idea. The driver of the car that hit you will likely have a legal team on their side through their insurance company. If you do not have an attorney to represent your interests, you will be going up against adjusters with experience handling these types of claim.
The #1 goal of the insurance company representing the other parties is to pay you as little as possible.
However there are 2 Situations Where You May Not Need an Attorney after a Missouri Car Accident
- You are dealing with property damage only. When you are only dealing with the cost of repair or the value of your car or motorcycle, there is plenty of information available to you that will allow you to reach an appropriate settlement of your property damage claim without the need for an attorney. It is important, however, to educate yourself about the best way to handle a property damage claim before proceeding.
- Your physical injury was very minor and you did not require much medical care.
Four Reasons You DO Need an Attorney after a Car Accident
If your situation is like the vast majority of cases, however, you would benefit significantly from having an attorney in your corner. There are several ways in which having an attorney can help you achieve a successful outcome after a car accident that leaves you with injuries or property damage, such as:
- Evaluation of your claim. An experienced personal injury lawyer can appropriately evaluate your case and determine what your case is worth. Unless you have handled hundreds of these cases, you really have no way of determining whether the insurance company is taking advantage of you.
- Properly presenting the case to the other drivers insurance company. Think just sending your medical bills to the adjuster is going to get you paid fairly? You are wrong. Most cases require the preparation of a detailed demand package that fully explains your claim including liability issues and the nature and extent of your injuries and damages. This may require expert opinions from doctors, economists and rehabilitation specialists.
- Negotiation. An experienced personal injury lawyer who has handled hundreds of injury claims and cases has the ability to appropriately negotiate your case with the insurance company.
- Reimbursement of medical bills and providers. This can be one of the biggest traps an insurance adjuster can spring on you. An experienced personal injury lawyer has the ability to identify the obligations you may have with regard to reimbursing your medical insurance company for the medical bills it has paid in connection with the accident can save you tens of thousands of dollars. This area of the law can be very complex and you can not only screw up your car accident case and have to pay money out of pocket, you could actually screw up your future medical care under your own health insurance!
There are dozens of missteps you can make if you do not have an experienced attorney guiding you. These missteps can occur during your treatment, during conversations with the insurance adjuster, and at many other times during the claim process. Unless you have experience pursuing this type of claim, you are unlikely to be able to anticipate these potential missteps.
Unfortunately, if you attempt to pursue a claim without the assistance of an experienced attorney, you cannot go back and undo what you have already done. Learn more about these missteps (and how to avoid them) in my free book before you speak with another lawyer or anyone from the other drivers insurance company.
Here’s a sample of what you’ll learn when you open the pages of this book:
- How to properly handle inquiries from the insurance company… it’s sad, but being a “nice guy” and answering “a few simple questions” can cost you dearly!
- Keys to determining just how much your case is worth – the many different factors that can literally mean thousands, if not tens, even hundreds, of thousands of dollars.
- 8 ways to make sure any lawyer you choose to represent you can make the most effective arguments on your behalf.
- DANGERS of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest – the key mistakes you do NOT want to make on Social Media immediately after your accident and while your case is being settled.
- What to do if the insurance company offers to pay your medical bills… do NOT just jump at the chance, it could well be a big WARNING sign going off!
- 6 common mistakes you do NOT want to make that could negatively affect your case in a big way.
Click Here to Get Your FREE Book
Clearly, situations where a victim would benefit from legal representation for a car accident claim far outnumber situations in which having an attorney is unnecessary. Fortunately, we are here to provide you with the assistance you need after a crash. When you are ready to take the next steps, contact me at 417 883-5886 or Toll Free a 1800 345-0535 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
That’s why I created a service I’m calling My 5 Point “Accept No Limits” Consultation – it has a real retail value of $299, but because I want to help as many people as I can get the answers they need during times of extreme hardship and difficulty, I’m making a limited number of these available at absolutely no charge. All you need to do is call my office at (417) 883-5886 or Toll Free 1(800) 345-0535 reserve your spot.
Here are the different elements of what you’ll experience during this in-depth consultation:
- A Real, Live Face-to-Face Meeting. We’ll meet face-to-face to discuss the specific details of your accident and what happened. You won’t be filling out a web-based data entry form, sending an email, sitting on hold waiting for a real human to answer – you and I will sit down in a room and talk things through. We’ll get to know each other the old-fashioned way – where we can share and learn from each other.
- A Comprehensive Situational Assessment. I’ll let you tell your story in your own words – you talk, I listen. As appropriate, I’ll ask questions to help you recall ALL the details – to make sure we both end up with an identical picture of exactly what happened that put you in this situation.
- A Preliminary Documentation Review. I’ll conduct a preliminary review of any supporting documentation you have that’s relevant to the accident and situation – this includes photographs, accident reports, police investigation notes, citations, and any witness statements. In addition, I’ll review information about your accident and injury, which could include repair bills, doctor’s notes, emergency room notes, photographs, X-Ray results and MRI results. In addition, I’ll check to see how your automobile insurance and health insurance factors into your current and potential future situation.
- An Honest and Open Q&A Session. I’ll answer any questions that you may have – such as how medical treatments will get paid for, how long the overall process will take, potential awards from the Insurance company, costs of litigation, and more. I’ll be open, honest, and do everything I can to answer your questions to the best of my ability.
- Your Customized “Next Steps to Fairness” Proposal. Finally, after going over your situation, I’ll lay out in clear, easy-to-understand language, what I see as the strengths and weaknesses of your case. In addition, you’ll walk away with specific suggestions on what I see as your best course of action moving forward.
GUARANTEE: While I can’t guarantee ultimate results, I will guarantee our conversation will provide clear, actionable information that you can use to move forward with confidence knowing you’ve received timely and prudent advice.