A Motor Vehicle Accident Is Never “Too Minor”
In the aftermath of a collision, it can be easy to ignore the possible consequences of the accident, especially when you feel like you’ve walked away unharmed. The reality is that there are always consequences when you collide with another vehicle. While your losses may seem negligible, statistics show that the average car accident claim involves more than $20,000 in damages. Here are some of the reasons toalways contact an attorney when you’re involved in any type of motor vehicle accident.
- Your insurance company has a vested interest in paying as little as possible to settle your claim—Your insurer is a for-profit entity. Insurance companies maximize their profits by minimizing payouts. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave a lot of room for objectivity when it comes to your losses. Don’t be surprised if you encounter delays, have a claim denied, or have an adjustor offer you far less than you need to be whole.
- Your insurance often won’t cover the full value of your car—Insurance companies pay Kelley Blue Book values. For a totaled vehicle, that may or may not be enough for you to buy a similar car as a replacement. In most cases, it’s not, meaning you’ll be saddled with new or higher car payments. An attorney can help you recover sufficient damages for a similar replacement vehicle. It’s also important to understand that your car does not need to be completely inoperable to be considered a “total loss.” As a general rule, if the cost to repair exceeds a certain percentage of the Blue Book value, you won’t have the option to repair—you’ll have to find a new vehicle.
- Often, the most debilitating injuries are not immediately apparent—One of the most common types of injuries suffered in a motor vehicle accident is soft-tissue injury—muscles strains, sprains, pulls or tears. It can take days or even weeks for these types of injuries to manifest. The sooner you contact an attorney, the easier it will be to demonstrate that the injuries were caused by the car accident.
