How Can I Afford an Accident Attorney?

A car accident can leave you with significant expenses, including lost income, vehicle repairs, and medical expenses. These expenses can quickly rise into the tens of thousands of dollars or more. Additionally, you may have suffered non-economic losses, including physical and emotional pain and suffering, or lost quality of life. 

Facing these mounting expenses, it may seem that hiring a good personal injury accident attorney might be costly. You can, however, retain an experienced personal injury lawyer with no up-front costs.  If your lawyer does not get you a settlement or award for your case, you owe no legal fees. This is called a contingency fee arrangement and allows accident victims to seek representation regardless of their financial situation.

Why Do I Need an Accident Attorney?

If an insurance company has already offered you a settlement, you may think you don’t need an attorney to represent you. Remember that insurance companies are for-profit companies, meaning that their primary goal is to make money by collecting premiums each month while reducing expenses by paying out as little as possible. Their adjusters will do everything they can to pay you less than you deserve for your accident case. There are many tactics that insurance companies use to minimize the amount they pay in settlements:

• Often insurance companies will initially offer a meager settlement amount. They’ll then provide subsequent yet still inadequate offers to seem more attractive.
• They may misrepresent the victim’s rights during negotiations (like telling the victim they are not entitled to pain & suffering compensation).
• Advising the victim that they will receive less compensation if they hire an attorney.
• Delaying an offer until the victim is under stress from accumulating expenses, making the victim reliant on any money they offer.
• Pressuring the victim to quickly make a formal written or recorded statement about the accident when the law requires no such account.

Getting the compensation you deserve for your accident is rarely as simple as settling with the insurance company. When car accident victims contact a personal injury attorney, the attorney may help them gather evidence, conduct witness interviews, collect necessary medical documentation, all to build a solid case. Insurance companies are continually looking for ways to reduce the settlement amounts or deny claims altogether. An experienced attorney understands these tactics and can help you get the compensation you deserve. 

If you or someone you know has suffered personal injury in an accident, we can help. Contact Saladino & Schaaf today or call us at 270-444-0406 (Paducah, KY) or 270-753-1529 (Murray, KY) to schedule a free case review.