You've been in a car accident. It wasn't your fault. The police found the other driver responsible for causing the crash and let you know their insurance company in order to make a claim. But you're hurt. And your vehicle needs repairs. And you start getting calls from the insurance company. The bodily injury adjuster tells you they'll take care of everything and even give you some money for your inconvenience....on top of your "reasonable" medical bills. You don't need to hire a personal injury lawyer, they will just cost you money, right? 

The above is an all-too-common story we hear from potential clients. And it's tempting and understandable that a lot of folks will want to settle their personal injury claim without involving a lawyer. But before you go at it alone, here are 5 reasons to consider hiring a Colorado personal injury lawyer after you've been in an accident.

Hiring a Lawyer for Your Personal Injury Claim

1. Insurance companies don't want you to have representation. Why? Because it makes their jobs harder. Experienced personal injury lawyers won't just rush their clients into a quick settlement. Which is what the insurance adjuster wants. If you settle quickly before you know the full extent of your injuries, you can't come back later for more money down the road. Once you sign a settlement release and accept a payout on your claim, it's over. 

2. You will very likely recover more money with an experienced personal injury lawyer representing you. Why? Because having an attorney handle your case provides credibility to your injury claim. Your lawyer will know how to properly value your case based on her or his experience handling hundreds or thousands of cases throughout their career. Insurance companies often offer you an arbitrary amount for your injuries, seemingly pulled from thin air. We represented a young mother and her two daughters who were injured in a significant car accident in Highlands Ranch. They were transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital. Within days, the insurance adjuster called our client and offered to pay for their ER visit plus "$750 for each child so you can take them out for ice cream and a nice dinner." Needless to say, our client was offended by the offer and retained us shortly thereafter. 

3. Good injury attorneys will make sure they know all potential sources of compensation before settling your case. Most people involved in car accidents have no idea what questions to ask or how to formally request insurance policies. Most people fortunately haven't had to make an injury claim before. But that plays right into the insurance company's hand. There may be an umbrella policy that if they may not produce if they aren't asked. The at-fault driver may have been working at the time. Or they may have been driving someone else's vehicle. Unless you know the right questions to ask, you could be leaving significant money on the table. 

4. When you settle your case, you are responsible for paying for your medical treatment. Health insurance companies and private medical providers want to get paid for the medical treatment you received. And they have a legal right to get paid back. Experienced personal injury attorneys will ensure all medical bills are known and then paid out of your settlement. They will negotiate with the providers and will often get them to reduce their charges. Finally, your lawyer will handle paying your health insurance company for you when the case resolves. If an injured victim goes at it alone and mistakenly fails to pay a medical provider for accident-related treatment, they can be sued or sent to collections for nonpayment. 

5. You can focus on the most important thing, getting better and recovering from your injuries. When you hire a lawyer, all the administrative hassle associated with making an injury claim is taken off your plate. You can concentrate on getting treatment and putting your life back together after getting hurt. Your attorney can also make recommendations about additional treatments you may need based and help facilitate that for you. Getting hurt is hard enough, but being hurt and trying to handle all of the above can be very daunting and delay your recovery.

There are many more reasons to hire a lawyer after a car accident but those are the top 5 in our opinion. And yes, it's self-serving for a personal injury law firm to recommend hiring a personal injury attorney - but we truly believe it's in your best interest whether you hire us or one of the many other great lawyers in Colorado. If you have been hurt in an accident and have questions about whether it makes sense to hire a lawyer, please contact Kane Trial Law at 303-919-7777 for a free consultation.