3 reasons you still need a lawyer in a minor “soft tissue” accident

After being involved in a minor car accident, you may wonder whether it’s even necessary to consult with an attorney, or whether you should just accept what the insurance company is offering to settle the case.  You may consider your insurance claim to be an easy, “routine” claim (if there is such a thing).  How important is having a lawyer beside you in your case?  Here are 3 reasons to show you how important it is:

3 reasons to have an attorney review your case

  1. Valuation of your case: Like it or not, the amount of medical bills you have acquired will have a direct impact on the value of your case.  If you have incurred any amount of medical expenses, whether or not they have been initially paid by other coverage, you will need an attorney to help you evaluate the value, or “Quantum,” of your claim.
  1. Subrogation claims:In the event your personal health insurance policy, or Medicare/Medicaid, has paid some of your medical bills in connection with the accident, they will be seeking subrogation, or reimbursement, of those payments.  An attorney can assist you in negotiating those payments downward to help maintain more money for your troubles.
  1. Simple math: Let’s say you have a minor accident, and the insurance company is offering you  $10,000 in exchange for a full and final release.  If a personal injury lawyer gets involved, builds the claims and points out to the claims representatives that the value of your case is actually $32,000 due to claims of (1) lost wages, (2) anticipated future medical needs, (3) loss of household services, (4) discovery of the other driver’s driving history that admissible evidence that increases the value of the claim, and (5) other non-economic damages that include mental anguish, wouldn’t that be worth your time, even if you have to pay an attorney 1/3 of the total recovery?

Conducting a full investigation like this is the only way to maximize your compensation.  Compiling a full report to submit to the insurance adjuster (or potentially a jury) is the best way to be compensated for the injuries you sustained.

For these reasons, it is always best to contact a lawyer to help you through a situation like this to (1) help you through the process while you’re recovering and (2) to maximize your benefits to ensure all of your injuries are appropriately compensated.