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How can a Fresno Injury Lawyer Help Me in My Car Accident Case?

Aug 17, 2021

With the amount of time most adult Californians spend behind the wheel of their cars, odds are significant that the day will come when many motorists will be involved in an automobile accident. If you have ended in an automobile collision, you may wonder how a Fresno injury lawyer can help you in your car accident case. There are five prime ways in which a Fresno car accident lawyer can help your case:


  • Investigate facts and circumstances of an automobile accident
  • Meet challenges of insurance company regarding claim
  • Effective negotiations with insurance company rep or opposing counsel
  • Maneuver California court system and applicable law
  • Enhance prospect of optimizing financial compensation


Investigate Facts and Circumstances of an Automobile Accident

 

A major way in which a Fresno injury lawyer can help your automobile accident case is to investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding a collision. The reality is that the foundation of an insurance claim is the identification and application of material facts and circumstances that support the contentions regarding the cause of an accident being made by an injured individual.

 

In the proverbial “best case scenario” (possible pun intended) marshaling the facts and circumstances to build a car collision claim begins in the direct aftermath of an accident, at the scene of the incident. With that said, the state of affairs following an accident never are ideal. As a consequence, beginning to build the case for a claim directly after an accident is challenging at best.

 

If the world were ideal, these are the types of evidence that would be collected at an accident scene:


  • Photos or videos of the accident scene from all angles.
  • Photos of videos of injuries sustained (directly after the accident)
  • Gathering of complete contact information of any and all witnesses to the incident
  • Brief statements from witnesses at the scene (taking advantage of smartphone to video statement, if witness is willing)


The reality is that directly following an accident, you very well may need immediate medical attention and cannot be moving about collecting evidence. Retaining an experienced, tenacious Fresno injury accident attorney directly after an automobile wreck permits counsel the ability to collect existing evidence. In addition, an attorney can engage the assistance of experts who can assist in getting the most out of the evidence collected in building a claim and lawsuit.

 

Meet Challenges of Insurance Company Regarding Claim

 

Another way in which a Fresno injury lawyer can assist you following a car accident is to meet and overcomes challenges presented by an automobile insurance company. The stark reality is that dealing with representatives of a car insurance company following a wreck that resulted in injuries is like being slammed into a brick wall. You simply do not need to try and figure out ways to overcome impediments to settlement of a claim put forth by a massive insurance company. A skilled law firm or lawyer has the background and skillset needed to aggressively address roadblocks an insurance company may attempt to put in place, including conduct of an insurance company that may even be classified as unlawful unfair claims settlement practices.

 

Effective Negotiations with Insurance Company Rep or Opposing Counsel

 

The majority of Fresno car accident cases never end up in trial. Indeed, this statistic applies to automobile accidents throughout California and across the United States. Many cases are concluded as the result of negotiations with representatives of an insurance company during the claims process or with opposing counsel over the course of a lawsuit.

 

Yet another of the ways in which a Fresno car accident attorney can assist you in your case is by bringing well-honed negotiating skills to the table. A personal injury attorney has not only training but accumulated experience in negotiating with the opposition in car accident claims and cases. The presence of legal counsel on your team optimizes the possibility that your case will settle sooner rather than later and at a dollar amount higher than what might have been obtained if you were left to go it alone.

 

Maneuver California Court System and Applicable Law

 

The California judicial system is complex. There is a very real reason why lawyers spend a considerable amount of time in law school learning about civil procedure (the set of rules that govern the judicial process in civil lawsuits, like those involving a personal injury). Beyond law school training, a Fresno injury attorney gains authority in the civil court system by actually representing clients in cases. As a consequence, an experienced Fresno personal injury attorney brings to your case the ability to manage your case in the California judicial system effectively and efficiently.

 

Although Californians have the legal right to represent themselves in a lawsuit, that course of action is not recommended. Time and again a person who is his or her “own attorney” ends up in a judicial mess because of mistakes made in regard to procedure and applicable rules and laws. In other words, without legal counsel, an injured person runs the risks of being tossed out of court because of a mistake.

 

A well-trained injury attorney also has command of applicable law. This includes statutes on the books in California. It also encompasses appellate court cases on personal injury and related matters that might have an impact on your own claim. Understanding and maneuvering applicable law is also something that a lawyer begins to learn in law school. However, applying applicable law to benefit your case is also something that comes through experience and demands that a lawyer be up to speed on any and all developments in the law that may impact your claim or case. 


Enhance Prospect of Optimizing Financial Compensation

 

When thinking about hiring a Fresno injury attorney directly after an accident, you may (understandably) think you can save money by not retaining legal counsel. While such a consideration is understandable and commonplace, it’s just not accurate. The reality is that in California car wreck case after California car wreck case, an injured person actually ends up with more money through a claim or lawsuit when that individual has a lawyer. This proves true even when attorney fees are calculated into the mix.

 

An experienced personal injury attorney has a background in tactics and strategies that work to optimize your financial compensation. A car wreck lawyer understands that the only way you can come close to some semblance of justice in your case is to receive an appropriate amount of money to compensate you for your injuries, damages, and other losses.

 

The first step in retaining the services of an experienced, tenacious Fresno injury lawyer is to schedule what is known as an initial consultation. During an initial consultation with a car accident lawyer Fresno you are able to obtain answers to any questions you have about your case, the claims process, as well as what is involved in pursuing a personal injury lawsuit. In addition, during a initial consultation an attorney typically provides an initial, general evaluation of your claim or case. While a lawyer cannot make a guarantee about the outcome of a case, legal counsel can provide at least some insight on the merits of your claim. As a matter of practice, a Fresno car accident lawyer charges no fee for an initial consultation and case evaluation. 

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