Why Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?

Our car accident lawyers hear this question quite often from potential clients who call us on the phone after being injured in a car crash. They want to know if they can get a better deal by avoiding lawyers’ fees and negotiating with the other driver’s insurance company directly. Our answer is simple: it’s not a good idea to represent yourself after a car crash; for the best results you need to hire an experienced car accident attorney. Without one, you will most likely not get fair compensation.

Insurance companies are not charities; they are in business to make a profit. Their goal is to get an accident victim to settle for the smallest amount of money possible, and they have employees who are experts at making this happen. They are trained to get accident victims to say things that will weaken their case and even better at negotiating settlements that are favorable to the insurance company. In addition, they know how to take advantage of a victim’s financial situation to get him or her to accept a lowball offer.

The average person is just not equipped to handle a negotiation with the other driver’s insurance company or to even recognize an unfair settlement offer in a car accident case. Car crash settlements are based on a complicated formula that includes many factors such as injuries, medical bills, damage to the car, pain and suffering, future medical issues, disfigurement, and more. A car accident victim does not know how to determine the approximate value of his or her case, but an experienced personal injury attorney does. At The Collins Law Firm, our team of aggressive car accident attorneys knows how to maximize the value of your case so that, even after lawyers’ fees are paid, you will recover more than you would without a lawyer.

The insurance companies’ own research has shown that car accident victims with a lawyer recover substantially more money for their claims than victims without an attorney. As a result, many insurance adjusters are taught to convince claimants not to hire a lawyer. That’s why experienced car accident attorneys advise clients not to talk to the other driver’s insurance company themselves, but to let the attorney negotiate with the adjuster instead.

• A 1999 consumer survey by the Insurance Research Council found that car crash victims received 40% more compensation if they hired an attorney to represent them.

• A later study conducted by IRC produced even more convincing evidence that car accident victims with a lawyer recover significantly more compensation than victims without. This study determined that car crash victims who were represented by a lawyer received 350% more compensation on average than those who did not have an attorney. The study also found that more than 8 out of 10 car accident victims who recovered ANY amount of money were represented by an attorney.

The bottom line is this, injured parties who hire an experienced car accident attorney recover more in damages than those who don’t. Moreover, if you do not hire a lawyer you run the risk of recovering NO money after your accident.

If you have been injured in a car accident, do not try to represent yourself. The attorneys at The Collins Law Firm can help you maximize your car accident damages. Our experienced, highly-rated Naperville car accident lawyers know how to determine the value of your claim and negotiate with the insurance company to get you the best possible settlement. Call us today at (630) 527-1595 or fill out our contact form for a FREE evaluation of your car accident case.