Risks of Handling A Burlington County Injury Claim Without a Lawyer
Request a Free ConsultationThere are certain factors to consider when deciding whether or not to handle your own accident claim. If you are involved in an accident and you have not been injured, the other person was not injured, no one in your vehicle was injured, and the only issue is property damage to your vehicle and the other driver’s vehicle, it may be something that you are able to handle on your own.
If you have been injured and need medical treatment, it is probably going to be overwhelming for you to try to handle the case on your own without an attorney. The paperwork, phone calls, and medical bills are all things that you are going to have on your plate, and that is when you are going to need an experienced Burlington County personal injury attorney.
Battling the Insurance Company
If an individual has been injured, it is in their best interest to call an attorney, even if it seems like it is going to be simple and straightforward. This is because an individual is going to be dealing with insurance companies. Not only their own insurance company, but the insurance company for the other driver as well. The insurance company does not always have an individual’s best interest in mind, and the process is not as straightforward as one may imagine.
The insurance companies are going to bombard an individual with paperwork and phone calls, and when the time comes for them to be able to receive benefits that they think they are entitled to, the insurance company may not produce them. This is one of the main risks associated with personally handling a Burlington County accident claim.
The earlier an attorney gets involved the better, because they can make sure that everything is being handled properly from the beginning so there are no issues down the road.
Common Misconceptions
The most common misconception when handling a Burlington County accident claim is that the insurance company is going to do what is right and pay for benefits that people are entitled to. When it comes to getting benefits that an individual has paid for every month, the insurance company may deny the claim and refuse to pay the benefit. Insurance companies are in the business of trying to make as much money as they can, and make most of that money by not having to pay for claims.
A common misconception is that they are going to do what is right on behalf of the individual involved, and this is often the biggest risks associated with personally handling an accident claim in Burlington County.
Biggest Mistakes
There are many mistakes that people make when they try to handle claims on their own without a Burlington County accident lawyer. The first is giving recorded statements to the insurance companies. Many times, the insurance company will try to get a recorded statement at various times close to the accident. However, sometimes symptoms of pain do not show for a few days.
For example, an individual may give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company and indicate that they are not having any back pain. Then, a few days later, the individual wakes up with significant back pain. This can pose a problem down the road. The insurance company can disregard the statement by saying that the individual did not report any back pain after the accident, therefore they are not entitled to damages.
The other thing that an attorney sees when people try to handle and negotiate the claims themselves is that they are settling their claims for drastically less than what is fair and what they deserve.
The Benefits of an Attorney From Grungo Law
There are many different factors when determining who would be the best personal injury lawyer for someone’s case. First, primarily would be experience. A person wants to make sure that they hire an attorney who has the experience in handling matters similar to theirs. Burlington County personal injury attorneys focus on personal injury and only personal injury.
A person does not want to hire an attorney who is simply rushing to get a quick settlement. They want an attorney that is going to fight for them and battle for them as long as it takes to get them to the position that they would have been if none of this occurred. Burlington County personal injury attorneys prepare every case as if it is going to go all the way to trial and they will go trial if need be. They want to make sure that they are getting you a fair result for what injuries someone had and what they have been through.
Contacting a Burlington County Lawyer
The only time it is too late to contact an injury lawyer is if your statute of limitation has run. As a general rule, it is two years from the date of your accident before the statute of limitation has expired. After those two years, you are barred from bringing forward a lawsuit. An individual should be sure to consult with a lawyer instead of handling any risks associated with their Burlington County accident claim on their own.
You should contact a lawyer as soon as possible, as a lot times insurance companies will ask for recorded statements. They will ask for you to sign documents. Skilled lawyers will want to make sure that they are there from the very beginning to make sure they are not taking advantage of someone who has never been through this process before.