If you have been injured in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost time from work, and other financial losses. You may also be entitled to compensation for your emotional pain and suffering.
Of course, just because you have a right under the law doesn’t mean the responsible party or their insurance company will be happy to cut you a check. Most car accident cases are handled through insurance, and insurance companies rarely pay in full voluntarily – even when their insured was clearly at fault for causing the collision. In fact, insurance companies and their attorneys use a variety of techniques to try to convince you to accept much less than what you are owed.
As a result, to get the compensation, you deserve, you will typically need to hire an accident attorney to file a personal injury claim on your behalf. Let’s look at what you can expect once you hire a personal injury attorney to represent you.
MOST CLAIMS ARE RESOLVED THROUGH INSURANCE
Filing a personal injury claim does not necessarily mean you will go to trial. Most cases are resolved without the victim having set foot in court. Once you have a Georgia accident attorney on your side, you can generally expect the insurance company (or companies, if more than one party was responsible for the accident) to play ball, and this typically results in a satisfactory settlement offer.
However, this is not always the case. Some insurance companies are more difficult to deal with than others, and sometimes the parties cannot reach an agreement. This is most common when there is a dispute over who caused the collision.
IF YOUR CASE IS NOT RESOLVED EARLY IN THE PROCESS
After your attorney officially files your lawsuit, each party can take what we call “discovery.” Discovery involves producing documents, answering written questions, and conducting depositions. The most important thing to know about discovery is that you need to be open and honest throughout the process. Your attorney will fight to make sure you’re not sharing more information than you absolutely must.
In the background, your attorney will be filing motions, digesting the evidence, and developing a strategy to win your case. Even after a lawsuit is filed, it is still possible for the parties to settle, and it is not unusual for cases to settle at various stages throughout the litigation process. But, if your case goes to trial, you can expect your attorney to fight vigorously and use every available tool at your disposal to win the compensation you deserve.