Should You Settle Your Own Car Accident Claims, or Hire a Lawyer?

car accidentIf you’ve been in a car accident, and are going through the claims process, you may be wondering whether you need to hire a car accident claims attorney in San Jose, or any other city. Whether you need a lawyer or not will usually depend on the claim you are involved in, and whether you are educated about this claims system. Here,accident injury lawyers Bohn Lawgive some advice on when you can settle claims on your own, and when you might need a lawyer.

Is the Cause of the Accident Contested?

If the fault for the cause of the car accidentis being contested, and you are unable to prove that you weren’t at fault, it’s extremely likely that you will lose the case, and not be able to receive any compensation. If you think the cause of the fault could go to court, you will need a car accident claims attorney to help you build your case. A lot of money can be involved in car accident cases, and if you believe you’re not responsible, you don’t want the court to deem it in any other way.

How Much Are Your Expenses?

If your expenses are less than $5,000, you may be comfortable settling your own claim. However, if they are larger than this, it’s wise to hire a car accident attorney. You need to decide at what point the case will become to large to handle on your own, and how much you could financially afford to lose if it came to it.

How Badly Were You Injured?

If you suffered from a serious injury such as a slipped disc, or a broken leg, or received a perpetual injury that will affect you for your whole life, you may be in line for a large payout. So, it makes sense to hire an attorney to present your case professionally. Generally, the larger the potential payout is set to be, the more the other party will resist the claim, so this is not something you will want to do alone. If you didn’t sustain any injury, or only had a few bruises or cuts, you may prefer to settle your own car accident claim.

Are You Going to Court?

Not all car accident claims cases go to court, however if yours does, you’ll want to hire a car accident attorney to present your case, and protect your legal rights. You could, alternatively, use adispute resolution serviceto try and help you settle the claim outside court without the help of an attorney.

Are You Willing to Spend Time Learning the Law?

Car accident claims aren’t the easiest things to educate yourself on, and it will take you quite some time. If your claim is a routine case, you will probably be able to learn as much as you need to know within a couple of hours. However, for more complex cases, it could take ten hours, or even more, to learn how to handle and settle your claim. In cases like these, an attorney may be the better option.

Learn more

Leave a Reply