After a car accident, you might think that it’s more financially savvy to try to settle your legal claim without a lawyer in New York. Maybe you’ve heard it’s quicker and easier to represent yourself. In truth, doing so can prevent you from reaching the best settlement amount possible.
Car accidents often lead to lawsuits, especially when the defendant is uninsured. However, not all accidents lead to lawsuits, and many are settled out of court.
A settlement is a private and legally binding agreement between the defendant and plaintiff in a civil lawsuit. While you are not legally required to hire an attorney to help you negotiate a settlement, it would be unwise to handle your case alone. Your attorney can help you assess your odds of success in a trial and use that information to determine whether a settlement is a better option. They can also leverage the evidence in your case to get the greatest settlement offer possible. If the defendant has already made a settlement offer, you should not accept it before you have an attorney review it.
Technically, you can settle a car accident claim without a lawyer in New York. While it’s possible to navigate through legal processes without a lawyer, it might not be beneficial. Car accident attorneys exist to represent victims in legal matters and get them an optimal settlement amount. Hiring a lawyer can help you get the damages you need after an accident so that you don’t have to deal with the legal logistics during your recovery.
The lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm aim to get our clients the compensation they deserve. If you need help getting compensation for your injuries after a car accident, call the Bronx car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm for a free consultation today at (718) 841-0083.
Do You Need a Lawyer to Settle a Car Accident Claim?
No law requires you to have an attorney when you work out a settlement for a car accident. However, it would be unwise to proceed without the help of a skilled and experienced lawyer. Attorneys can help you in many ways outside the courtroom. If you know your case will end in a settlement, you can hire a lawyer to help you negotiate. Our Queens car accident attorneys can help you get started and advocate for your just compensation.
There are several risks you take when negotiating a settlement alone. Many plaintiffs are unaware of the full extent of their damages before they speak with an attorney. While there are more obvious damages like medical bills and the cost to repair your car, there might be other damages you do not realize you can claim. For example, you can claim lost income, lost future income, future medical expenses, and pain and suffering. Without a lawyer to help you assess your damages, you might end up with a lower settlement than you deserve.
Settlements do not happen overnight. They are often the results of many weeks or even months of negotiations between the parties. Without a car accident lawyer to help you negotiate, you might get an unsatisfactory settlement and lose your right to file your lawsuit.
The Reasons that You Can You Settle a Car Accident Claim Without a Lawyer in NY
Everyone is entitled to represent themselves in court. Furthermore, you’re allowed to undergo discussions with a negligent driver’s insurance company without an attorney by your side. It’s your legal right. While you can settle a car accident claim without a lawyer in New York, it’s not necessarily advised to do so.
Car accidents often have a lasting effect on a victim’s life. Generally, victims will file a lawsuit against a negligent driver to seek financial compensation for medical costs if discussions with the driver’s insurance company have proven unsuccessful. Before filing a lawsuit, you may have heard that it can be easier to take care of the legal processes yourself. After all, if you were injured in a car accident, it should be easy to get the compensation you deserve in damages, right? Not necessarily.
Even if you were injured in a car accident caused by a negligent driver, it could be hard to get adequate compensation by yourself. While it’s legal for you to file charges without representation, not having an attorney can make the process much more difficult. While you as a victim might have an emotional connection to your claim, a car accident lawyer, like the ones at The Carrion Law Firm, have the knowledge and experience to help your case succeed.
Why Shouldn’t You Settle a Car Accident Claim Without a Lawyer in NY?
After you’ve been injured in a car accident, you might decide to sue for damages. Car accidents can cause physical and emotional injuries that can profoundly impact a victim’s life. Medical bills and lost wages can accrue, making the financial damage hard to overcome. Filing a lawsuit against a negligent driver can help ease that burden. But, why should you hire a lawyer?
Initially, you might think it will be easy to get the damages you deserve for your injuries. However, a negligent driver’s insurance company might deny a claim and prevent you from immediately receiving the funds required to compensate for your injuries. The New York car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm can stand up to insurance companies so that you don’t have to.
If those discussions fail, it might be time to file a lawsuit. While you might believe that your case is obvious, a defendant’s attorneys could disagree. You might not get adequate damages if you don’t have legal representation when hoping to settle a car accident claim in New York. An experienced car accident attorney can represent your interests and hold a defendant responsible for your injuries.
The Carrion Law Firm aims to get our clients the compensation they deserve from a car accident claim settlement. Our experience allows us to approach each case informed and prepared to fight for your interests. While attempting to settle a car accident claim without a lawyer might seem appealing at first, it can quickly become overwhelming. The paperwork, research, and time it takes to settle with a defendant be too much to handle. After an injury, you should focus on recovering. Let the Queens car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm handle settling your car accident claim.
The Benefits of Hiring a Lawyer to Settle a Car Accident Claim in New York
Effective car accident attorneys’ invaluable experience and knowledge allow these professionals to successfully settle your car accident claim. Enlisting the help of the New York car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm can benefit your case in more ways than one.
Lawyers Collect Evidence
Throughout a lawsuit or settlement discussion, evidence is crucial. An experienced attorney will know the appropriate evidence to collect to support your case. If you choose to represent yourself without legal counsel, you might forget to compile certain pieces of evidence that can prove your claim. The process of collecting evidence can be difficult and can take lots of time. That’s why hiring a lawyer is helpful. They will know what to search for and include in your case to help it succeed. The right evidence can convince a defendant’s legal counsel to settle for your terms.
Strong evidence may be very helpful in persuading the defendant to pay a greater settlement.
Lawyers Negotiate Terms
Standing up to insurance companies or a defendant’s counsel can be intimidating for victims. An attorney can stand their ground and firmly negotiate for the best settlement possible. The experienced car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm can fight for your interests without shying away from the other players involved.
Without a doubt, hiring a lawyer to help settle a car accident claim is beneficial. While it’s possible to represent yourself in these matters, doing so can prevent you from getting the compensation you deserve. The Carrion Law Firm’s Long Island car accident attorneys can bring experience, knowledge, and determination to your car accident case, helping you settle quickly and effectively.
Lawyers Have Experience
Our car accident lawyers can help you negotiate your settlement. Negotiations are more than going back and forth with possible settlement amounts, although that is certainly one aspect of negotiations. Settlement agreements require using negotiation skills and legal knowledge to advocate for damages.
Your lawyer can also assess your odds of a court victory. If you have a strong chance of winning at a trial, your attorney might advise you to hold out on settlement negotiations until the defendant agrees to pay more money. They might even tell you to reject a settlement if more damages are almost certainly available through a trial. Your chances of success at a trial are hard to predict without the legal experience of a lawyer.
You Might Get a Larger Settlement
Any proof that your attorney can gather that the defendant is at fault for the car accident can be used by an attorney to get a greater settlement. Attorneys have experience on what kind of proof will be impactful to the opposing counsel as well as the court.
Can You Accept a Car Accident Settlement Without an Attorney?
Again, yes. Having an attorney is not required by law. You are free to accept or reject a settlement offer on your own. However, accepting or rejecting an offer without talking to an attorney first is very risky. You should speak to an attorney about settlement negotiations before making any final decisions. When you accept a settlement offer, there is no going back. You lose your right to file the lawsuit, and the settlement will be all you have to show for your efforts.
If you accept a bad settlement offer, there is not much else that can be done unless you were coerced. In some cases, a defendant is very quick to offer a settlement, sometimes before the plaintiff has time to hire a lawyer. If this sounds like your situation, you should inform the defendant you need time to think and consult with our car accident lawyers as soon as possible.
While it may be a good thing to get a settlement offer so quickly, a legal professional with the skills and experience to handle settlement negotiations should review the offer before you accept it.
When Should I Hire a Lawyer After a Car Accident?
You should hire an attorney to help you with your car accident settlement as soon as possible. Ideally, you should hire a lawyer shortly after your car accident. Your attorney can deal with things like insurance and filing a lawsuit while you focus on recovering. Our Brooklyn car accident attorneys have the skills necessary to work out a settlement for you.
If the defendant makes a settlement offer, it should come through your attorney first. The sooner you hire a lawyer, the sooner they can get to work negotiating a settlement with the defendant. If you wait to hire an attorney, you risk losing evidence to leverage in settlement negotiations. You also risk making critical mistakes, like accidentally admitting liability or accepting a settlement offer without realizing how bad it is.
Our Lawyers Can Help You Settle a Car Accident Claim in NY
If you’ve been injured in a car accident and need help settling a claim in New York, our attorneys can help. For a free consultation, call the experienced New York City car accident lawyers at The Carrion Law Firm today at (718) 841-0083.