By David G. Hallstrom, Sr.
You have been in a accident, automobile, slip and fall,workplace, etc.. Should you see or speak with an attorney?
As far as I am concerned, the answer is always yes.
When should you consult with an accident attorney? Youshould seek the advise of an accident attorney as soon aspossible after the accident. Do not wait. You could be giving upcertain rights. You should definetly speak with an attorneybefore speaking with the other sides insurance agent, adjusteror attorney.
You say that you can not afford an attorney. Mostaccident attorneys will consult with you for free and, if theytake your case, will handle it on a contingency basis, nottaking any fee untill the case is settled. Most settlements areincreased to cover the cost of the attorney and thereforenormally the attorney costs you nothing. Many attorneys willalso advance all court costs for you if they are forced to filesuit.
You say that you were injured, however, the insurancecompany has offered to pay your medical bills and you do notfeel it is right to take advantage of them by asking foradditional money for your, pain, suffering, lost work, etc..Don't you feel that you as a person are worth something? Do youthink so little of yourself that you feel that your pain,suffering, inconvience, etc. is worthless. You did not causethis accident. What you are going through was caused by someoneelse. You deserve to be compensated. The insurance company, as amatter of good business, has already built these types of costsinto the premiums that they charge their customers. If the moneydoes not go to you it will probably go to their shareholders orto increased salaries or ?. Why shouldn't you be properlycompensated. Remember most good attorneys are ethical andalthough they will attempt to obtain as much money for you as isdue, they will not take your case unless they feel that it isproper.
You say someone else admitted liability and said that theirinsurance will pay all your damages. That's great, however,what if the person changes his or her story later on and saysthat you were at fault. Or what if the other side's insurancecompany refuses to pay what you think is proper. In fact, how doyou know what is proper? Remember, an insurance company may payclaims, but it is in business to make money. It normally willnot offer one dollar more than it has to and if you are notrepresented by an attorney the insurance company adjuster orattorney may feel that he or she can "get away" with paying muchless than the claim may be worth. Additionally, what peoplestate at the time of an accident is not always what they stateafter having spoken with a friend, insurance agent or attorney.Finally, an insurance adjuster or insurance attorney works forthe insurance company, not for you. How do you know that whatthey are telling you is correct or true. Remember, in mostinstances, they are there to try and save the company money. Youneed an attorney on your side to tell you what your rights andobligations are.
You say that you were not hurt that bad or at all. Howdo you know how badly you were hurt. Some injuries do not showup for months. Other injuries may aggrivate a prior problem.Even if you have been found to be "ok" by a doctor, how do youknow that a problem will not come up later. If you haveinsurance and did go to a doctor, who is going to pay yourco-pay or deductible. If you do not have health insurance, whois going to pay for your examination which should include xrays,etc.. If you retain an attorney he or she can probably refer youto a doctor who will accept a lien against the insurancesettlement, thereby saving you from paying money out of yourpocket.
You say you have accident insurance, why not let them handleeverthing for you. Your insurance company is there to defendany claims against you not to represent you in any claimsagainst other parties. Additionally, they also are in businessto make money. How do you know if they are trying to settle acase to help you or to save themselves money.
The foregoing article was written by the author based onexperiences he has had as a private investigator representingboth accident attorneys and insurance companies. This article isnot stated as a legal opinion or as fact but instead is statedas opinion of the author.
Permission is given to reprint this article providing credit isgiven to the author, David G. Hallstrom, and a link is listed toResources ForAttorneys the owner of this article. Anyone or any companyreprinting this article without giving proper credit and thecorrect link, is doing so without permission
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