If you have been injured in a car accident, you need to speak with an Auto Accident Attorney immediately to preserve your right to all damages to which you are entitled. You can discuss your auto accident case during a Free Consultation with an auto accident lawyer at the Law Offices of Donald H. Peters.
Thousands of automobile accidents are reported in Michigan and the Detroit area each year. Unfortunately, many of these motor vehicle crashes involve injuries and fatalities. In 2018, the Michigan State Police recorded a total of 312,798 crashes, 75,838 total injuries, and 974 fatalities from motor vehicle accidents. (Michigan traffic crash decade at a glance)
In an effort to help motorists travel more safely and to avoid car accidents and injuries, the Michigan state police posted Safe Driving Tips on their website.
What Happens after You Have Been Involved in a Car Accident?
Obviously, your health is your first priority after an automobile accident. Sometimes an accident is so minor that you are absolutely certain you have sustained no injuries. But, if you feel you may have been injured, even if you are not sure, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Some injuries are readily apparent due to external bleeding or an obvious broken bone or considerable pain. Some injuries, however, may be internal and difficult to detect such as an internal bleed that could become life threatening if left undetected and untreated. Get checked out right away. Hopefully, you’ll receive a clean bill of health with no injuries and no need for an auto attorney.
When Should You Contact an Auto Accident Lawyer?
To reiterate, because it is of utmost importance, take care of your injuries immediately. After you and your doctor are satisfied that you have your injuries under control, then you should seek out a lawyer who focuses specifically on car accident cases.
An automobile accident case involving personal injuries can trigger your right to multiple types of claims and benefits that you have paid for through your insurance premiums. You’ll have to make a claim with your insurance company for these benefits in order to recover. Unfortunately, you will not be aware of all the benefits to which you are entitled and your own insurance company would like to keep it that way.
After a personal injury automobile accident, your insurance company should advise you of all the benefits to which you are entitled. You only have a certain amount of time to make certain claims. Unfortunately, however, your insurance company may explain your benefits in such a way and send you various forms that you don’t understand. Consequently, in your confusion, you may miss out on certain no-fault benefits that you already purchased when you paid your premiums.
When you deal with an insurance company, you have to understand what you are really dealing with. Insurance companies are in the business of making profit. They profit by collecting premiums from you, the insured. The more benefits they pay out to you, the less profit they make. It is not in the insurance company’s best interest to act in your best interest. The insurance companies literally make more money by paying you less money. When you do not have an attorney, you are an easy target for a skilled insurance adjuster who will coax you into accepting minimal benefits and persuade you to sign away future benefits to which you would otherwise be entitled.
Don’t Ever Waive or Sign off on Benefits without First Speaking with an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer
A favorite trick insurance companies like to play on injured crash victims is to offer them money in exchange for signing a release. They often try to do this quickly before you have had an opportunity to consult with a car accident lawyer. The injured victim signs the release, receives what he or she believes is a good settlement, and then later receives medical bills and expenses no longer covered by insurance because the insured essentially settled all claims including claims the insured was not even aware of. Sometimes serious injuries cause by a car crash take several months or even years before they become noticeable. The insured may need future expenses, supplies, medical treatment, and accommodations to the home but none of this will be covered any longer because those claims were waived forever with the signing of the release. This can literally result in financial ruin for the car crash victim.
I would like to be able to tell you that the above scenario would never happen if the injured crash victim were represented by an attorney. Unfortunately, however, although less likely, even a lawyer can make those mistakes especially lawyers who don’t really concentrate their practice on car accident injury cases.
How Do You Choose the Right Auto Accident Lawyer?
In the world of personal injury law, there are many types of injury claims. There are Auto Accident claims for pain and suffering, Auto Accident claims for No-Fault Benefits, Uninsured Motorist Claims, Underinsured Motorist Claims, Medical Malpractice claims, Slip and Fall claims, Workers Compensation claims, Civil Rights Violations, and the list goes on. Some injury attorneys choose to focus on one or two types of claims while others will try to their hand at just about anything. This can result in some auto attorneys being masters at their craft while other auto attorneys achieve mediocrity at best.
Car accident injury cases can involve several different types of claims and entitlement to several different types of benefits. Injuries from a single car accident can involve several insurance companies and things can become very complicated very quickly even for a car accident lawyer who does not concentrate his or her practice specifically on car accident injury litigation.
A car accident can trigger your right to certain no-fault benefits payable by your own insurer regardless of who was at fault including your right to lost wages, medical bills, hospital bills and expenses, medical transportation, replacement services expenses, at home attendant care expenses, and prescription medication expenses. (See Michigan No-Fault Act)
For pain and suffering damages, you may have to sue other people who were at fault and/or who owned vehicles involved in the accident. If those people had no insurance or didn’t have enough insurance, you may have to make a claim against your own insurance company for pain and suffering if you have uninsured motorist and/or underinsured motorist coverage.
Because of the many types of claims which can arise out of a car accident as well as the notice and timing requirements of making such claims and filing lawsuits, auto accident law is really a very specialized area of law that requires a car accident attorney who concentrates his or her practice on auto accident litigation. There are really very few attorneys who fall into this category but a motor vehicle accident attorney who focuses on auto accident law is really essential to effectively pursue a claim for auto accident benefits.
Another consideration in selecting the best motor vehicle accident attorney is the attorney’s willingness to take the case all the way to trial. Many auto attorneys are unwilling to take a case to trial. Sometimes attorneys are better advertisers than they are attorneys and because their advertising brings in so many cases, they spread themselves too thin and simply don’t have enough time to devote to each case. Unfortunately, rather than taking a case to trial when it needs to be tried, which is costly and very time-consuming, they will settle your case for a lot less than what it is worth and they will sometimes waive your right to benefits that you deserve just to avoid the time and expense of going to trial.
The very best auto accident attorneys will take your case to trial when it should be tried. Because these attorneys have won large jury verdicts, insurance companies know they have to pay these attorneys a lot of money to settle your case. That is the type of auto accident lawyer that you want. You want an auto attorney who can obtain large jury verdicts and demand large settlements, not an attorney who settles cheap to avoid work and expense.
Call for a Free Consultation to Obtain the Best Auto Accident Lawyers
At the Law offices of Donald H. Peters, we network with the very best attorneys in all areas of personal injury law whether it be Medical Malpractice, Automobile Accidents, Workers Compensation, Premises Liability, Police Misconduct, and the list goes on. We know who the heavy hitters are and who the talkers are.
If You Have Been Injured in a Car Accident, Call the Law Offices of Donald H. Peters for a Free Consultation so that we can match you to the best car accident attorney for your specific case.
Free Consultation (248) 549-3485. Law offices of Donald H. Peters – Car Accident Lawyers.
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