It’s amazing how people view auto accidents. When you’ve been injured in an auto accident, you’ll probably hear either family or friends express how “lucky” you are. After all, some people view getting into an auto accident much like winning the lottery – as a ticket to quick and easy money.
People who view an auto accident like winning the lottery are usually NOT people who have been involved in a serious automobile accident.
Yes it’s true that people who have been injured in an auto accident are entitled to compensation for their injuries. However, just because you’re ENTITLED to receive compensation, doesn’t mean it happens automatically.
The first and most important key to obtaining the settlement you deserve from your auto accident is to choose the best lawyer. After all, the best auto accident lawyer will have the experience and the expertise necessary to obtain a FAIR settlement from your auto accident.
Think you can do better than an attorney who has experience and specializes in representing auto accident victims? GUESS AGAIN!
I’ve written about my experience in choosing an attorney to represent me after my auto accident. (Read about it here in Choosing the Best Auto Accident Lawyer.)
When I first consulted with my attorney, he gained my trust intially by “cluing” me in to how the lawyers who specialize in auto accidents operate. He told me they negotiate the settlements “en mass” meaning that instead of working each case individually, they negotiate with a single insurer for the settlement of dozens of cases at one time.
At the time, I BOUGHT that story. I made sense to me that I would get MORE money for my case if I had a single attorney who was dedicated to getting me the largest settlment possible. After all, my attorney was making almost 1/3 of my settlement, so he should be interested in getting me the most money possible, right?
REMEMBER, I HIRED AN ATTORNEY WHO DID NOT SPECIALIZE IN A SINGLE AREA OF PRACTICE!
I hired an attorney who dabbled in everything – from bankruptcy to divorce to auto accidents to drafting wills.
Five years after my accident, there was no “quick cash” or settlement from my auto accident. I had medical bills, I had lost money working, and I had spent thousands of dollars a year on pain treatments and medications after the auto accident insurance stopped paying.
In the end, my total settlement was 1/3 of my original medical expenses. The only negotiating my lawyer did on my behalf was negotiating with the insurance company that paid the medical bills so they wouldn’t come after me and sue me for the other 2/3 of the medical expenses I incurred.
I didn’t get reimbursed for my pain and suffering. I didn’t get compensated for the permanent changes that occurred in my life and my body as a result of the accident.
Despite the fact that I heard the mediator tell my worthless attorney that my case was worth twenty times more than what the other insurance company was offering – he still didn’t want to go to court. My attorney needed cash – he needed cash fast so he settled my case to put money into his pocket quickly – after spending 5 years NOT working my case!!!
That’s what this blog is all about. Making sure YOU don’t make the same mistake that I did when I hired a laywer to handle my auto accident case!
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