What do Car Accident Lawyers Do?

Car accident lawyers can represent your case and help you fight for compensation in an insurance settlement or lawsuit.

Car accident lawyers protect the legal rights of their clients who have been in car crashes. In addition to protecting their rights, lawyers also manage the entirety of their client’s legal case. Much of what car accident lawyers do involves building cases for injured parties.

How Car Accident Lawyers Help Injured Parties

When you hire a car accident lawyer to help you with your case, you can expect them to assist with a wide variety of aspects surrounding your claim or lawsuit.

Identifying Liable Parties

Car accidents lawyers will investigate accidents to determine all liable parties. This can be a confusing matter, as multiple cars may have been involved. In some cases, such as truck accidents, employers, manufacturers, and maintenance companies can also be liable.

Build a Case and Negotiate

Once a car accident attorney has identified all liable parties, they will begin gathering evidence to build a robust case. Evidence might include:

• Medical records and bills
• Photos and videos of the accident and the accident scene
• Eyewitness testimony
• Expert witness testimony

They will use this evidence to establish the following:

• Duty of care: The other driver had a duty to operate their vehicle in a safe manner.
• Breach of duty: The other driver breached their duty by behaving negligently. Negligent behaviors might include distracted driving, intoxicated driving, speeding, driving while fatigued, or following too closely.
• Causation: The other driver’s negligent behavior caused the accident.
• Damages: The accident caused you physical, financial, or emotional damages.

Determine the Value of Your Case

After their investigation, the car accident lawyer and their team will estimate a value for your case. Potential damages might include:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Diminished earning capacity
• Miscellaneous expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish

Handle All Communication With Insurers

After an accident, insurance companies typically contact both parties to get their sides of the story. While this might seem innocuous, insurance companies are often looking for ways to pay injured parties less than what they may be entitled to. To do this, the insurance adjuster may ask leading questions, attempting to get you to admit fault or claim that you are uninjured.

To ensure that this does not happen, a car accident attorney will deal with the insurance companies after your car accident.

Negotiate With Insurers

Insurance companies often offer much lower amounts than an injured party might be entitled to. Many of those injured parties have no experience with negotiating and will simply accept what they can get. A lawyer can handle the negotiations on your behalf. 

If a lawyer cannot recover a fair settlement, they can take the case to trial.

Explain Your Rights

Most people do not know their legal rights after an accident. Lawyers are well-versed in legal matters, such as South Carolina’s Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Act, for example. When you enlist the services of a car accident lawyer, they will ensure that you understand your legal rights and how to exercise them.

Car Accident Lawyers Work on a Contingency-Fee Basis

Car accident attorneys handle cases on a contingency-fee basis. This means they do not charge any upfront fees or require a retainer. They will also advance the costs associated with the case. This could include the expenses related to hiring expert witnesses or filing forms in court.

They do not recover attorney’s fees unless and until their client recovers compensation. If their client does not recover compensation, they are not paid for their time. There is no risk when you work with a car accident lawyer.

When to Contact a Car Accident Lawyer

The earlier you contact a car accident lawyer, the earlier they can get started on your case. This is beneficial because evidence can be lost or destroyed, and building a strong case takes time.

Call Our Team to Get Started Today

If you or a loved one suffered injuries or you lost a loved one due to a vehicle crash, a car accident attorney can help you pursue justice and fight to ensure that you receive fair compensation for your injuries and other losses.

At George Sink, P.A. Injury Lawyers, we have the financial resources to stand toe-to-toe with any insurance company and fight for your legal rights and interests. We have been assisting car accident victims and other injured parties for over 40 years. We want to help you, too. 

Call us or fill out our online form right away to get started. We offer a free consultation, during which we will determine whether you have a case and discuss what car accident lawyers do for people like you.