One of the questions we hear most commonly as East Village car accident lawyers is this one: “Do I really need to hire a lawyer after my car accident?” The answer to that isn’t always clear cut in some cases. For fender benders or scratches on a car, hiring a lawyer probably isn’t something you’ll need to do. In those cases, they can be resolved through your respective insurance companies. Similarly, any tickets you get also don’t always require a lawyer.
However, if you have been involved in a more serious car accident, you will want to hire an experienced East Village car accident lawyer. Here are some other cases:
If There Was a Serious or Fatal Injury
If the car accident was bad enough that is caused a serious injury and/or death of a loved one, you will want to contact a lawyer as soon as possible. Of course, we understand that these instances are highly traumatic for everyone involved, but you also have to protect yourself moving forward. These are complicated cases for courts to decide, and not having someone to guide you through the system makes it even harder.
We will consider multiple legal matters in the court systems, and there is a chance that you can retrieve a significant amount of money – or pay a significant amount of money. A good car accident lawyer will help you to calculate the amount of money you are eligible to recover, guide you through the process, and represent you against counterclaims.
The Other Driver(s) Was Uninsured
If someone involved in the accident did not have insurance, contact a car accident attorney as soon as possible. This is helpful because in New York, your insurance has to cover the costs associated with the accident – including medical bills and vehicle damages. Most drivers have (as required by law) uninsured driver or underinsured driver coverage, but that can only get you so far.
We can help you determine whether you need to file a lawsuit against the other driver in order to recover more compensation.
There Were Multiple Parties in the Accident
If there were multiple drivers or multiple vehicles involved in the accident, it is in your best interests to call a lawyer. With multiple vehicles or parties, such as parked cars or pedestrians, everything becomes just a little more complex. You could find yourself involved in multiple lawsuits if this is the case.
Contacting a car accident lawyer will enable you to fight against people teaming up against you and to keep your share of the liability as low as possible. Our job is to communicate with other lawyers and parties to get the case settled as quickly as possible.
Evidence Needs to Be Collected
In some cases, evidence needs to be collected after the accident. Some cars are installed with technology that can help to prove what happened during the accident – a sort of black box for cars. This information can show how fast you were going, whether you wearing a seatbelt, and what else happened during the accident. To get this information out of another car, you have to go through the court system to get a court order, which a lawyer can help you to get.
Settlement
Most car accident cases never actually go to trial, they often settle before it gets to that point. This can save you not only time, but money in litigation costs. Still, these are complicated and complex conversations that use legal jargon and require an experienced accident attorney on your side. Hire a lawyer that has experience negotiating with other lawyers in settlements so that you can get what you deserve – don’t be afraid to ask for past results.
CONTACT HOFFMAIER AND HOFFMAIER FOR NYC’S TOP LEGAL REPRESENTATION
After you have been involved in a car accident, a lawyer can help you to recover money for damages to your car, for paying off medical bills, and even for helping with lost wages. The job of the lawyer is to prove that you were not at fault in the accident and that the other person was. We can also serve as the line of communication between car insurance representatives and you.
If you or a loved one was involved in a car accident in the East Village or anywhere in New York City, contact NYC’s top car accident lawyers, Hoffmaier & Hoffmaier. We will help you to navigate the sometimes-difficult world of car accident law and get you the compensation you need and deserve.