If you are hurt in a car accident in Georgia, you will soon be tasked with making numerous decisions. For one, you will need to decide whether to get medical care (and from where).
On top of that, you must also determine whether you will file a claim for damages against the other motorist within two years of the accident, a timeline that goes by far faster than you might think. And if you decide to file a claim, you could then be asked to choose between accepting a settlement and taking your case to trial.
The choice to hire a lawyer can easily get lost among that seemingly endless list of selections to make. However, it is one that can dramatically impact your case’s outcome. Those who decide to retain an experienced car accident lawyer in Georgia will experience various benefits of legal representation.
6 Reasons To Retain Legal Counsel After A Georgia Car Accident
You might resist the thought of retaining legal counsel for your car accident case for any number of reasons. But before you make the significant choice of representing yourself, consider the following reasons why hiring a car accident lawyer makes sense:
1. You Need Information About Your Legal Options
Informed decisions require accurate details. You cannot make a confident determination regarding whether to file a claim against the other driver, settle your case, or even what damages to seek if you do not know what your options are in the first place (or whether one course of action is less risky than the other).
Even before your case is filed in court, an attorney can ensure you understand what is possible and probable in your accident case. Armed with that knowledge, you can then make your other necessary decisions with greater confidence and a complete understanding of the potential outcomes of your choices.
2. You Need Perspective About Your Car Accident Case
Next, an attorney can provide an honest and objective evaluation of your case’s strengths and weaknesses. Some injury victims might believe their case is airtight and resist any reasonable settlement offer the other party makes. Others might irrationally assume their case is tenuous and leap at the first offer made to them, regardless of its reasonableness.
An experienced car accident lawyer in Georgia can assess the strength of the evidence in your favor and potential defenses the other party might raise. Instead of basing their assessment on feelings or whims, your attorney can point to specific facts in your favor and those that hurt your case, thereby leading you to make more sensible choices about your case.
3. You Need Someone To Speak For You
As you evaluate your legal options after a crash, the other parties and their insurance providers will do the same. They will likely contact you to ask for a statement about the accident. Your answer can significantly and negatively affect your ability to pursue compensation from the other party, only adding to the anxiety and turmoil you experience after your crash.
When you retain an attorney, they’ll handle these and any other requests for information. You won’t need to worry about whether an improper response will jeopardize your right to recovery. When you must answer questions, your attorney can ensure you are well-prepared to provide truthful information that helps your case.
4. You Need An Investigator
Georgia is an at-fault car accident state, which means the person who causes a car accident pays for the injuries and expenses others involved suffer. However, if the at-fault party does not readily admit their mistake, it falls on the injured party to prove the other’s liability. That task requires evidence and witness testimony that a knowledgeable lawyer can help gather.
Witnesses’ memories fade, and crucial evidence can disappear if not collected soon enough. A resourceful injury lawyer will understand that and know how to use legal tools to preserve such information. That, in turn, ensures your case is ready to proceed even if the other party does not readily admit their fault.
5. You Need A Negotiator
Good settlements result from good negotiations. However, negotiating fair and reasonable settlements is a skill honed by repeated practice. An attorney who regularly represents car accident injury victims should possess that aptitude and be able to use it to pursue a reasonable settlement in your case.
Settlements offer numerous benefits for injury victims, but those benefits can be eliminated if the agreed-upon damages are too low for your injuries. When you hire a qualified attorney to represent you, you can be confident that any settlement they present you with will be the result of negotiations on your behalf.
6. You Deserve An Advocate
There isn’t any specific Georgia law that outright requires hiring a car accident attorney to help with a car accident claim. Nevertheless, injury victims deserve to have someone who will speak on their behalf in and out of court and fight for their needs. The road to recovery from a car accident is long and arduous, but knowing that someone is in your corner and fighting for you can give you a boost.
A skilled lawyer knows how to do more than simply tell a compelling story. They are equipped to introduce evidence, witness statements, and the law to show judges and juries why you are entitled to compensation. They do not just relate the facts of your accident, but they do so while fighting for your needs and rights.
Hiring A Car Accident Attorney Is A Significant Choice
Each of these (and many other) legal representation benefits can be realized if you take your time and choose your attorney carefully.
Look for a car accident attorney who does the following:
- Regularly practices personal injury law and handles car accident lawsuits
- Has the material and human resources needed to keep your case moving
- Clearly explains their fees and whether they work on a contingency basis
- Answers your questions honestly and directly
- Leaves you with a positive impression and a feeling that you can trust them
Altogether, the choice of whether to hire a car accident attorney is yours to make. While choosing an experienced lawyer qualified to help you can take time, the potential benefits you can glean are what make the search worthwhile.
Paul W. Painter III is one of the founder attorneys at Bowen Painter Injury Lawyers. He has represented many Georgia resident victims and won multi-million personal injury cases. His mission is to fight for the compensation injury victims deserve.
