What Happens After a Car Accident, and Why Do I Need a Muncie Car Accident Lawyer?

March 24, 2025

Car accidents are frequent occurrences in Muncie, including 1,967 in 2022, and the consequences are often dire.  Fortunately, you may have grounds for a personal injury case when someone else is at fault for your Muncie car accident, though the decisions you make in the immediate aftermath could heavily influence whether your claim succeeds, like the decision to hire an attorney.  Allow Hensley Legal Group to explain what you should know if you are wondering “What happens after a car accident, and why do I need a Muncie car accident lawyer?”   

What to Expect Following a Muncie Car Accident 

As common as Muncie car accidents are, almost nobody expects to get into one, and it can be difficult to think clearly after a crash, particularly if you have sustained punishing injuries that threaten to stretch your family’s finances to the breaking point. 

Nevertheless, what you do in the moments following a Muncie car accident can be critical, so it is important that you remember to: 

• Move to a safe location to avoid further collisions. 

• Dial 911 to request the presence of police and emergency personnel if they have not already arrived. 

• Take pictures and shoot videos of your surroundings. 

• Get medical treatment. 

• Obtain the contact information of the other driver and any eyewitnesses. 

• Notify your auto insurance carrier. 

Completing these steps could protect you and any Muncie car accident case that you might be contemplating.  While you are certainly entitled to pursue that case by yourself, many prefer to seek out skilled legal assistance because of the challenges posed by going it alone. 

How Retaining a Muncie Car Accident Attorney Can Help 

Any viable Muncie car accident case must demonstrate both negligence, which is the failure to exercise due care to avoid inflicting harm, and damages, which are the negative outcomes of that negligence.  Basically, if you incur physical damages as a result of a defendant’s negligence, you can go after that defendant for economic damages. 

Yet merely identifying every defendant is no easy task, even in an event as apparently straightforward as a Muncie car accident, and you could be barred from full fiscal recovery if you don’t take action against everyone who harmed you in a prompt manner.  

Moreover, your problems won’t simply vanish because you have tracked down all of the defendants, since you may still encounter stiff opposition from their insurance companies.  This may be your first major car accident, but it won’t be the first for a veteran insurance adjuster, who could take advantage of your relative inexperience to settle your claim for less or deny it altogether, but retaining a Muncie car accident attorney can help. 

Just as it won’t be the first accident for the adjuster, it won’t be the first for your lawyer either, who will be better equipped to fend off the tricks and tactics that you might otherwise face.  This is a key reason why personal injury victims receive 3.5 times more on average with attorneys than without them. 

A Muncie car accident lawyer will begin by launching a comprehensive investigation to unearth the root causes of your accident and the defendants who may be responsible for it, then establish valid claims against them and possibly file a lawsuit as well if the situation warrants it. 

Your attorney will also amass the evidentiary materials required to build a rock-solid case that can get you compensated for the entirety of your losses, such as your: 

• Medical bills 

• Lost wages 

• Pain and suffering 

• Psychological trauma 

• Mobility restrictions 

• Scarring and disfigurement 

• Diminished quality of living 

• Loss of consortium (if applicable) 

When confronted with compelling proof of the extent of your damages and the depth of the insured’s liability, a sensible insurer may tender a generous settlement rather than risk a worse verdict at trial. 

In fact, most Muncie car accident cases are negotiated outside of court, but a seasoned lawyer will be indispensable if your case makes it to a courtroom, where plaintiffs who represent themselves lose about 96 percent of the time but professionally represented plaintiffs are favored to win. 

And if your attorney manages to convey everything that your Muncie car accident took from you to a receptive jury, you could potentially be awarded the resources necessary to get back to normal.  

Reach Out to Our Muncie Car Accident Lawyers 

Hensley Legal Group has been standing up for hardworking Hoosiers like you for more than 25 years.  If you have been badly hurt in Muncie traffic and are uncertain about what to do or where to turn next, reach out to our Muncie car accident lawyers to learn more about your legal options. 

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