An injury due to a drunk driver can be challenging to win in court. But when you have a lawyer to help you, it can be a bit easier for you. A car accident lawyer knows what it takes to get by the case as they deal with such issues every day. There are several ways a drunk driving car accident lawyer can help protect your rights. It isn’t all about having the lawyer represent you in court alone. Below are some of the ways that a drunk driving accident lawyer can help you protect your rights.
Prove Negligent Behavior
You can opt to get a lawyer when you have been involved in a car accident with a drunk driver. It means that you can opt out of getting a lawyer too. But it is always good to have a lawyer present, especially to prove negligent behavior.
Filing a case against the driver can be easy but proving it can present a pickle. With a lawyer, they can help prove negligence through their team. You, on your own, can’t prove the case as you don’t know what goes into it.
The lawyer’s team knows where to find witnesses and every way to prove the driver’s negligence.
Ensure the Adjuster Don’t Take Advantage
It would be best if you had a lawyer on your side to watch out for your interest and so that the adjuster doesn’t take advantage of you. When you are involved in accidents with a drunk driver in Alabama, the insurance adjuster will watch out for the company’s interest. When you meet the adjuster for the first time, they will offer you a check a few weeks after the injury. This will be so they can get out of paying for the whole medical expenses. You will pay for the medical bills with the check and find out it wasn’t even enough.
Out of Court Settlement
Most of the cases that involve drunk drivers are settled out of court. No one wants to go to court and spend years and get the compensation that will only repay for the expense and time used for the case duration. With an out-of-court settlement, it can be less expensive.
To settle a case, you need to determine the case at the right time, and your lawyer will know this. When you settle the case early, you won’t have enough to pay for treatment if a complication arises. You may need to go back to your pocket to pay for treatment after.
With a lawyer, the case won’t be settled until the whole treatment process is done and the doctor clears you. In case the doctor says surgery is needed for the aspects that therapy didn’t cure.
Your Statement
After the accident, there will be a meeting with the insurance adjuster where your statement will be taken. When this happens, you need to have a lawyer present for this meeting. If you don’t, things will be taken out of context, and your claim is denied.
When you tell your side of the story, things may be taken out of context as the adjuster can cherry-pick your statements. When that happens, it is all in favor of the insurance company. It would be best if you had a lawyer before you show up for this meeting.
The lawyer will be the one who looks out for your interest.
Experienced Advocacy
Lawyers handle these types of cases every day, and their experience will come in handy. This will come in with both the out-of-court settlement and the court case. For example, when you go at it alone, and it’s an out-of-court settlement, you won’t know what to expect.
That means that it will be easy for the insurance to take advantage of you. When there’s a lawyer, with the experience they have, that won’t happen. When the case goes to court, the lawyer knows what’s needed; they may even have a relationship with the judge.
That can make it easy to handle the case, which can go a long way to giving better feedback for the case. It won’t help, though, when the judge has a fractured relationship with the judge.
Take the Case to Court
When the case goes to court, you can’t represent yourself there; you need a lawyer. They know the precedence of these cases as this is used in most cases to determine these cases. They also have the know-how to move around the court.
Some documents need to be filed on time; a lawyer will ensure that this happens correctly. If you go at this alone, you may miss a deadline, which can lead to your suit being thrown out of court.
No-Fault State Laws
Some states follow the no-fault car insurance rules, and when you live in such a state, your options are limited. Here, a lawyer will ensure that your medical bills are paid in full. This is despite the drunk driver being clearly at fault for the accident.
You also need to accept that not all states with this law allow the threshold to follow up on the case. This follows up, in most cases, against the at-fault driver. The injuries you sustained need to have met the state’s definition of serious injuries.
There can also be a threshold of the medical bills – the medical bills need to be high enough for the state. When the bills are high enough, you can step outside the safety of the no-fault system. These can be demanding confines to cross over – a good drunk driving car accident lawyer can help get over these thresholds.
Communication
Once you retain the services of a lawyer, all communication needs to go through them. Also, you shouldn’t sign any document without the lawyer present. This will make it easy for you to know that every process you make is legal and won’t come back to bite you.
Hiring a drunk driving car accident lawyer can come in handy when you want to get your claim settled. There will be some push and pull from the insurance side as they’d instead get away without paying. Here’s how the lawyer can help you smooth the whole process.
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