America’s roads are not always a safe place. Car accidents involving other cars and trucks, pedestrians, and bicyclists are an unfortunate reality, as the are injuries that can result from car accidents and other disasters on the road. Drunk driving, driving while under the influence of drugs, distracted driving, and even driving while tired can lead to injury and damage, and if someone is hurt in an accident, he or she may call upon car accident lawyers to help out and reach a settlement with the at-guilt party and insurance companies.
Statistics of the Road
Sometimes, the roads of the United States are dangerous. Every year, some three million people are injured in car accidents on roads, and twice as many car accidents happen every year. The National Safety Council assembled data and showed that for the second consecutive year in 2017, car accident fatalities topped 40,000, and some of these fatalities are bicycle riders. In 2016 alone, some 840 cyclists were killed in automotive accidents, and in that same year, about 20% of those fatalities happened between 6:00 PM and 9:00 PM, and 71% of them occurred in urban areas. And with 218 million Americans owning a valid driver’s license, there are a lot of drivers out there on the roads, and sometimes, they are speeding, distracted, or drunk, and that can lead to disaster and injury. But the law can help. After a car crash, a lawyer can make a case for reparations in court.
Choosing a Lawyer
After someone has been injured in a car crash, he or she could strongly consider finding, hiring, and working with a lawyer to settle the legal matters of reparations and lawsuits. After all, such law can be very complex and detail oriented, and the average victim may not have the expertise to handle this work alone, but lawyers experienced with such cases can navigate those legal waters.
After a car accident, a victim may choose to get a lawyer because injuries sustained total to very high medical bills that the victim may not be able to pay, and what is more, if the injuries are permanent and can prevent the person from working and earning money, that long term fiscal effect is something that only a lawyer could properly account for in the case. And on a psychological note, the victim may be angry, upset, or frightened, and may not be objective or make rational decisions during this time, but a lawyer will be a totally objective and clear headed helping hand to keep the case in line.
In court, a lawyer’s client may demand payment from the at-fault party’s insurance company, and the lawyer can work out exactly how much is owed based on injuries sustained and the client’s fiscal future based on ability to work due to those injuries. And if the insurance company refuses to cooperate, the lawyer can handle that too, while a client working alone may find him or herself blocked from making further progress. This is especially true when the insurance company has a competent lawyer or team of lawyers at its disposal, which will often be the case. And if there are multiple parties involved, such a case would almost certainly be too complicated for a client to handle alone, since blame for the accident and settlement money have to be assigned to various parties based on their interactions with each other. A lawyer can handle this, and make sure that the proper amount of settlement money reaches the client.
Finding an attorney after a car crash does not have to be difficult. The client can make use of the Internet to search for law firms whose attorneys deal with car crashes and injuries, and the client could also get a free consultation to determine if a particular lawyer is desired to represent them. A client may also check a particular attorney’s law education history, work history, and personal methods and trustworthiness to see if that lawyer is someone the client can trust and work with to get the case settled. The client can also inquire about fees and other payment for the attorney’s work, and whether or not the lawyer charges by the hour or day or some other method.