Why Contact a Lafayette Personal Injury Lawyer After a Car Accident?

September 16, 2024

Lafayette is no stranger to car accidents, with the city recording 3,315 collisions in 2022 alone, though a victim could be eligible to pursue a personal injury case when someone else is at fault. If you have recently been hurt in a crash in the Lafayette area, you might be contemplating a claim, but why contact a Lafayette personal injury lawyer after a car accident instead of handling the matter on your own? Let Hensley Legal Group explain how a skilled attorney can help with a Lafayette car accident case.

Car Accidents Can Be Catastrophic Events

It is important to maximize the value of an auto injury claim because car accidents can be catastrophic events that could leave a Lafayette family teetering on the brink of ruin. In fact, the National Safety Council has calculated the average cost of an “evident” motor vehicle injury to be approximately $40,000.00, while “disabling” injuries could cost upwards of $155,000.00 and deaths as much as $1,778,000.00.

Since fewer than half of Americans can raise $1,000.00 for a sudden emergency, seeking reimbursement from everyone responsible for your collision makes perfect sense, but you could soon run into trouble if you try to do so by yourself.

For example, merely identifying the individuals and entities who contributed to your Lafayette car accident can be challenging. The list might include the driver who hit you, the owner of his or her vehicle (if separate from the driver), and any company making use of that vehicle (if separate from the owner). Depending upon the circumstances, others could be culpable too, possibly more than one simultaneously, and you must go after each of them within the time permitted by law if you hope to be fully compensated.

And assuming you somehow manage to track down all of the liable parties, you could still encounter stiff opposition from their insurance companies, who will probably be your primary sources of financial recovery. This may be your first Lafayette car accident, but you can bet that it won’t be the first for a veteran insurance adjuster, who could exploit your relative inexperience to settle your claim for less or simply deny it altogether, leaving you with little recourse during an already uncertain period.

What a Lafayette Personal Injury Lawyer Will Do for You

This is where a knowledgeable lawyer can make a difference. Just as it won’t be the first case for the adjuster, it won’t be the first for your attorney either, who will be far better equipped to fend off the tricks and tactics routinely deployed against rookie claimants. This is a key reason why personal injury plaintiffs statistically receive 3.5 times more with professional legal assistance than they would without it.

What will a Lafayette personal injury lawyer do for you? Once retained, your attorney can launch an exhaustive investigation to unearth everyone who may be to blame for your car accident, then establish valid claims against them and potentially file a lawsuit as well if the situation demands it.

Your lawyer can also amass the materials necessary to build your claim, including both evidence of your damages, such as medical bills, provider testimonials, and employer documentation, and evidence of negligence on the part of the defendants, such as:

Police reports

Citations and dispositions

Eyewitness accounts

Crash site photos

Dash cam, streetlight, and surveillance footage

Black box data

Phone logs

Driving histories

Accident reconstruction and forensic analysis

Once an airtight case has been assembled, your attorney can enter into negotiations with the insurance carriers who have coverage applicable to your Lafayette car accident. When confronted with compelling proof of your losses and the insured’s guilt, a prudent adjuster can often be convinced to make a generous offer rather than risk a worse verdict at trial.

Indeed, most Lafayette car accident cases are resolved outside of the courtroom, though sometimes a trial cannot be avoided, at which point a seasoned litigator will become indispensable. Whereas plaintiffs who represent themselves in court lose about 96 percent of their cases, plaintiffs with lawyers are favored to win. And if your Lafayette personal injury attorney can make a receptive jury aware of everything that your car accident took from you, you might even be able to obtain the funds you need to become whole again.

Reach Out to Our Dedicated Lafayette Personal Injury Lawyers

Hensley Legal Group has been fighting on behalf of seriously injured Hoosiers for over a quarter century. If a major car accident has turned your world upside down, reach out to our dedicated Lafayette personal injury lawyers to explore the remedies available to you.

You can schedule a free consultation with an accomplished Lafayette personal injury attorney by calling or texting us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form today.