You should consider many factors when finding the best car accident lawyer near you. However, the most important consideration is trusting your instincts when meeting with different attorneys to discuss your case.
Every law firm operates independently. That means what one does, another doesn’t necessarily do—for example, some lawyers communicate and reassure their clients along the way, while others only offer information when asked or when there are major case developments.
Finding the right car accident lawyer in Rogers to represent your case can involve a little time and research. However, if you have suffered an injury in a crash, you should always speak with a lawyer before the insurance companies. Take time to find the right car accident attorney near you.
Rogers Car Accident Guide
- Finding the Best Car Accident Lawyer Near You
- What to Research Before Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer Near You
- How the Right Car Accident Lawyer Can Help Recover Compensation
- Contact an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer Near You Now
Finding the Best Car Accident Lawyer Near You
Researching the credentials and reputation of a law firm and car accident attorney is a critical first step. Whoever you select to represent you will be responsible for handling legal deadlines, investigating your case, negotiating your claim, and securing compensation.
Randomly selecting a law firm to represent you is never wise. Here are three ways to help you find the best car accident lawyer near you.
Word-of-Mouth Referrals
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports over six million police-reported car accidents annually in the U.S., so you may know someone who has previously utilized the services of a car accident lawyer.
Word-of-mouth referrals are among the best ways to find a reputable local attorney. Ask around. Sometimes, asking around ensures you don’t mistakenly hire a less qualified lawyer.
Free Initial Consultations
Most car accident attorneys offer free consultations to discuss the details of your case. Take advantage of interviewing multiple law firms at no cost before deciding who the right car accident lawyer is to represent your claim. It won’t cost you anything since consultations are free, and you’ll gain a well-rounded understanding of your legal needs and compensation demands.
Online Ratings and Reviews
An overwhelming 98 percent of consumers read online reviews before making purchases. When choosing the right car accident attorney near you, it makes sense to show the same care. Sites that host lawyer reviews include:
- Yelp
In addition to traditional sites, lawyer review sites offer insights and perspectives that may significantly impact your decision-making process. These sites include:
- FindLaw
- Super Lawyers
- Justia
- Nolo
- Avvo
- LegalMatch
The Better Business Bureau Lawyer (BBB) database also reports positive and negative reviews of the local car accident lawyers near you.
Sometimes, an instant rapport between the client and the attorney suspends the need to investigate competitors thoroughly. Trust your instincts. That said, most instances involve researching before deciding who to trust with your legal needs.
What to Research Before Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer Near You
Car accident attorneys are responsible for navigating the legal system, meeting legal deadlines, negotiating with insurers, and obtaining financial settlements for accident victims.
Having an experienced attorney who regularly handles cases like yours gives you a better chance of obtaining substantial compensation. However, finding a reputable and experienced lawyer may involve doing some research.
Resources and Networks
To prove negligence, an experienced car accident lawyer will often consult a network of experts whose testimony helps prove liability. Depending on the nature of your crash, these experts may include:
- Medical experts
- Accident reconstruction specialists
- Vehicle safety experts
- Highway safety experts
- Economic experts
- Engineering experts
- Occupational therapists
- Speech and language therapists
- Vocational rehabilitation therapists
- Mental health experts
When consulting law firms, ask them what type of experts they have in their network of resources. Expert testimony carries significant weight when establishing liability and valuing damages.
Experience Handling Car Accident Insurance Claims
When you search for “how to find the best car accident lawyer near me,” consider their experience handling claims like yours. Suppose you are in a significant collision resulting in severe or permanent injuries. In that case, you don’t want a car accident lawyer who is inexperienced in comprehensive claim evaluation, including seeking pain and suffering damages.
Unlike medical bills with a statement, pain and suffering damages are more complex and challenging to prove and tend to rely heavily on expert testimony. An experienced car accident lawyer confidently demands these damages and wins, while an inexperienced one might not.
Experience Handling Car Accident Lawsuits
All the car accident claim settling experience in the world means nothing without litigation experience. During your initial consultations with law firms, ask how much trial experience they have representing cases like yours.
Most car accident claims are indeed settled without going to court. However, if your case is the exception, having an attorney with no experience in courtroom proceedings can be detrimental to your chances of recovering compensation.
Fee Structure
Ask about their fee structure. Most car accident lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. That should be the same near you. A contingency arrangement works well because your attorney will not charge you any upfront costs to work on your case. Furthermore, they don’t get paid if they do not win your case.
However, they will collect a contingency fee if they successfully secure compensation for your losses. The fee is a percentage of the final settlement check disclosed at the time of retainment.
Communication and Compatibility
Your personal compatibility with an attorney and their communication style are both relevant to finding a car accident lawyer near you. Pay attention during initial consultations to how attorneys listen and respond to your questions.
You want a lawyer who instills confidence, acts with compassion, informs you of their doings with your case, and encourages you to focus on your recovery while they handle the legal side of things on your behalf.
How the Right Car Accident Lawyer Can Help Recover Compensation
An experienced car accident lawyer can be exceedingly valuable in recovering compensation for injured parties. It’s who they are and what they do. They are diligent at exhausting investigations, protecting clients from insurers, valuing claims for maximum compensation, and negotiating fair settlements.
Perform a Thorough Investigation Into Your Car Accident Claim
Trusted car accident lawyers will comprehensively investigate every facet of your claim, aiming to maximize compensation. A motor vehicle accident investigation may entail the following:
- Surveyance of Accident Scene: Your attorney will survey the accident scene and carefully analyze any evidence that points to liability, such as skid marks and debris.
- Evidence Collection: Gathering evidence, such as police reports, photos of the vehicle damage and your injuries, video surveillance of the collision, dashcam footage, medical records, and any other documents or evidence relevant to proving negligence.
- Witness Interviews: Your attorney will identify witnesses from the accident scene and collect their statements to help prove liability. They may also re-interview witnesses from whom the police collected statements for new details.
- Accident Reconstruction: Reconstruction experts recreate the collision scene to pinpoint critical moments of negligence. After obtaining data, they use computer simulations and 3D modeling to help visualize how the accident happened and who is liable.
- Consultation With Experts: Attorneys will consult with other experts during an investigation, such as medical and mental health experts, to help clarify injuries and damages.
- Reviewing Records: Your lawyer will examine all documentation of your accident and injuries, including eyewitness statements, police reports, photos, video evidence, and medical reports.
Depending on the severity of the accident and your injuries, the length of your case investigation can take time. Accident victims should not be in a hurry to settle before a lawyer has had time to thoroughly investigate or without undergoing all necessary medical treatment.
The right car accident lawyer will advise you to regard your health and recovery and not rush for a quick payout. Finding the right attorney means finding a compassionate one with your best interests in mind.
Be mindful of “ambulance chasers.” If an attorney contacts you at the accident scene or the hospital, they are not the right one. They see the paycheck, not the person.
Protect You From the Car Insurance Company’s Agenda
The at-fault driver’s insurance company will conduct its own investigation into the claim and may ask for various things from you to find anything they can to deny liability. For example:
- A recorded statement they can dissect for incriminating statements
- Your cell phone records to see if you were on the phone at the time of the accident
- Data from your GPS navigation system
- Background checks
- Medical records before your car accident to try to prove pre-existing conditions
Don’t fall for the friendly insurance representative or adjuster on the other end of the telephone line. They are not your pal and only act that way to earn your trust before doing whatever is possible to delay, devalue, or deny your claim.
Once you obtain legal counsel, your attorney will handle all further communications. The insurance companies will no longer be allowed to pressure or harass you.
Value the Total Damages of Your Car Accident Claim
A complete value of total damages for your car accident claim accounts for medical, rehabilitation, disability, property, professional, and other losses incurred from the collision.
Medical and Rehabilitation Damages
The right car accident lawyer will seek compensation for all medical and rehabilitation expenses associated with the accident. Standard healthcare costs involve:
- Emergency room visit
- Surgeries
- Hospital stays
- Primary care visits
- Physical therapy and chiropractic care
- Alternative rehabilitation services (massage, acupuncture)
- Prescription medications and medical devices
- Imaging services (X-rays, CT scans, MRIs)
- Labs and diagnostics
- Mental health care
- Home health care (in-home nursing)
- Vocational rehabilitation therapy
- Future medical expenses
Accident victims should provide copies of all hospital invoices, medical billing statements, and other documents demonstrating financial losses. Receipts for copays, prescription medications, and travel expenses to and from doctor appointments will help recover those costs.
Disability Damages
Disability victims of car collisions are eligible to receive compensation for transportation and home mobility costs necessary for living independently, such as:
- Accessible bathrooms (step-less showers, raised toilet seat)
- Handrails and levers
- Wheelchair ramps
- Chair lifts
- Wheelchair accessible vehicles
- Steering devices (grips, spinner knobs, prosthetic hook, and hand securement)
- Seat belt adjustments
- Hand controls (control brakes, acceleration pads with hands)
- Future disability costs
Sometimes, home modifications require lowering the countertops and sinks in kitchens and bathrooms. They may also require widening doorways for wheelchair accessibility. Disability damages caused by a motor vehicle accident add up quickly and shouldn’t be the victim’s responsibility.
Consult a car accident lawyer to determine legal recourse for recovering financial compensation immediately if you’ve been injured in an auto collision.
Property Damages
Vehicle damages and any personal property destroyed in the motor vehicle accident are recoverable. Common compensation claims include smartphones, smartwatches, car seats, glasses, and portable electronic devices.
Professional Damages
Professional damages account for all income losses sustained due to the auto collision. These financial losses typically include:
- Lost hourly wages or annual salary
- Loss of health insurance
- Loss of benefits (retirement, pension)
- Loss of opportunities for non-salary compensation (commissions and bonuses)
- Inability to earn or make progress toward promotions
- Diminished earning power
Accident victims can prove professional damages with pay stubs, bank statements, tax returns, and employer statements that validate the income loss. The latter is typical when injured parties miss non-salary compensation and promotion opportunities.
Household and Delivery Services
Accident victims who sustain injuries that require them to hire outside help for everyday tasks are eligible to recoup those costs. Examples of household and delivery services people use during their recovery are as follows:
- House cleaning and laundry
- Meal delivery services
- Grocery delivery services (Instacart, Walmart, Harps Foods)
- Daycare
- Lawn care and yard maintenance
If you care for your elderly parents, you may also be entitled to receive reimbursement for senior care costs needed while you recover. Speak with your attorney about what damages you might seek in your claim.
Wrongful Death Damages
Surviving victims of wrongful death have the right to compensation. Wrongful death damages include compensation for losses before your loved one’s passing and pain and suffering resulting from their loss, such as:
- Funeral and burial service costs
- Pain and suffering for loved ones before their death
- Expected future income
- Loss of inheritance
- Loss of financial support for the decedent’s children and financial dependents
If you and your family have suffered the untimely loss of a loved one due to another’s negligence, consult with a car accident lawyer immediately. No one should have to navigate the legal aftermath of wrongful death on top of grieving their loss.
Negotiate With Liable Insurance Companies
Finally, the best car accident lawyer will be a skilled negotiator who refuses to settle for less than what can be accomplished. Unlike many unrepresented clients, attorneys know insurance company methods of delaying, undervaluing, and denying claims liability and won’t be undermined by them.
Contact an Experienced Car Accident Lawyer Near You Now
Schedule a free consultation with a Rogers personal injury attorney to discuss the circumstances of your case. Any documentation you have of your accident and injuries, such as medical bills and police reports, are helpful in assessing your claim.
Consultations are free, so there is no reason to wait.