Is It Best to Get a Hammond Car Accident Lawyer for a Car Accident?

July 26, 2024

Car accidents are an everyday occurrence in Hammond, with 3,608 collisions in 2022 alone. If you have been injured in Hammond traffic, can you obtain compensation by yourself, or is it best to get a Hammond car accident lawyer for a car accident?  Hensley Legal Group explores the value of skilled legal representation following a Hammond car crash. 

The Challenges of Handling Your Own Car Accident Case 

You are certainly entitled to handle your own car accident case, but you may encounter significant challenges if you do. 

Your car accident case needs to show that you incurred bodily damages because of a defendant’s negligence in order for you to recover financial damages.  However, simply identifying all of the defendants could be difficult, much less mounting a case against them.  For example, the driver who hit you could be a defendant, but so could the owner of his or her vehicle (if separate from the driver), a company making commercial use of that vehicle (if separate from the owner), and maybe other individuals and entities too.   

Sometimes multiple parties could share differing degrees of legal liability simultaneously, for which they could share differing degrees of fiscal liability, and you must pursue them all within the time permitted by law or risk being barred from full recovery. 

Aside from the trouble of tracking down the defendants, you could have trouble assessing your injuries in purely economic terms, which is critical if you hope to get what you deserve.  And keep in mind that your current injuries may only constitute a fraction of your total losses.  If you accept an offer that only considers your short-term, monetary costs, you could be forced to cover the long-term costs of your injuries entirely on your own, as well as your non-monetary damages, which may be even more detrimental and enduring. 

This unfortunate fact will probably not be explained to you by the defendants’ insurance companies.  On the contrary, it is in the interest of any insurance adjuster to take advantage of your relative inexperience to settle your claim for less or even deny it altogether. 

What a Hammond Car Accident Lawyer Can Do for You 

When faced with these obstacles, many decide to turn to capable attorneys, like the Hammond car accident lawyers at Hensley Legal Group.   

A seasoned car accident attorney will be better equipped to fend off the tactics of the insurance companies.  Additionally, a lawyer will be able to calculate what your case is really worth and will work to equal or exceed that figure during negotiations.  It is a key reason why personal injury plaintiffs with attorneys receive 3.5 times more on average than personal injury plaintiffs without attorneys. 

Once retained, your lawyer will launch a comprehensive investigation into the causes of your car accident and everyone responsible for it, acting swiftly to amass the materials to construct your claim, such as: 

• Police reports 

• Citations and dispositions 

• Crash scene photos 

• Dash cam, streetlight, and surveillance videos 

• Black box data 

• Eyewitness statements 

• Phone records 

• Driving histories 

• Maintenance logs 

• Accident reconstruction and forensic analysis 

After assembling an airtight case against every defendant, your Hammond car accident attorney will strive to negotiate a settlement that reflects ALL of your losses, be they short-term, long-term, monetary, or non-monetary, including: 

• Past, present, and future medical bills 

• Lost income 

• Diminished earning capacity 

• Pain and suffering 

• Mental and emotional anguish 

• Reduced quality of living 

• Mobility restrictions 

• Loss of consortium 

• Punitive and wrongful death damages (if applicable) 

While most car accident cases are resolved outside of the courtroom, sometimes a trial is necessary.  If that happens, a veteran litigator will be indispensable, since 96 percent of plaintiffs who represent themselves in court lose, whereas plaintiffs with lawyers win more often than not.     

What Will It Cost to Hire a Hammond Car Accident Attorney? 

If you are reluctant to hire an attorney because of the cost, you should know that most car accident lawyers work on a contingency basis.  This means that you won’t have to pay anything until your case reaches a favorable conclusion.  At that point, reimbursement will be sought for out-of-pocket expenses and a fee for services rendered, usually as a percentage of your verdict or settlement. 

It is a mutually beneficial arrangement that could spare you further stress and even allow you to secure the funds to become whole again. 

Standing Up for Car Accident Victims 

Hensley Legal Group has been standing up for car accident victims for more than 25 years.  If you are struggling with serious automotive injuries, get in touch with Hensley’s Hammond car accident lawyers to discover the remedies available to you. 

You can schedule a free consultation with a dedicated Hammond car accident attorney now by calling or texting us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form.