No products in the cart.
Published by Programme B
If you were in a car accident in Toronto, Ontario, you might be asking yourself whether it is worthwhile to hire a lawyer. You might wonder: “Can I handle the claim myself? Why bother with hiring a person injury lawyer?”
The severity of the accident, the severity of your injuries, and the difficulty navigating the legal process are some of the variables that will determine the answer. In this post, we will examine the advantages of working with a car accident lawyer to help you decide if it would help your case settle faster–and perhaps for a larger settlement amount, too.
- Personal injury law and “Access to Justice”: First, in Ontario, personal injury lawyers are paid differently than corporate/commercial lawyers, employment lawyers, or family lawyers–to name a few lawyers from different practice areas. Personal injury lawyers are paid a percentage of the settlement amount from an insurance company.
Why is that, you may wonder? Because personal injury cases involving car accidents–especially ones where the accident victims have sustained very serious or even catastrophic injuries–are paid a percentage of the settlement amount from an insurance company. Further, these types of cases frequently take years to settle, or reach the payout stage. This was done consciously, by the Ontario government, and is part of the province’s “Access to Justice” system.
If this system was not in place, accident victims would need to pay for the services of a personal injury lawyer monthly as their case proceeds, something that many accident victims cannot do because they are injured, cannot work, cannot earn an income, and therefore have difficulty paying their bills. Few, if any, accident victims couls pay a personal injury lawyer until their case settles with an insurance company.
It works like this: while handling your motor vehicle accident case, personal injury lawyers give their time, their experience, their expertise, plus they pay for all the necessary court filing fees, medical reports, their office staff, office rent, technology costs, and so on. This is called “carrying the file”; in return for carrying the file, sometimes for years, personal injury lawyers are paid 33% of the amount of the insurance settlement.
- A car accident lawyer can guide you through the bureaucratic, paper-intensive legal process. This is one of the big advantages of hiring a personal injury lawyer. Dealing with insurance companies, medical bills, and legal paperwork can add stress to the overwhelming aftermath of a car accident. Personal injury lawyers are adept at handling paperwork and navigate bureaucracy, which frees you up to concentrate on getting better.
- A personal injury lawyer knows how much your case is really worth. Another advantage of hiring a car accident lawyer is their ability to help you to obtain the proper settlement amount for your losses. Insurance firms frequently place their own financial well-being ahead of compensating accident victims. To help you get the compensation for your losses, a personal injury lawyer can negotiate with the insurance provider on your behalf.
Frequently, car accident victims who attempt to deal with an insurance company directly find that they took a much lesser amount on the principle that some money is better than none. Insurance companies know this and some may even use pressure tactics, such as a fictitious deadline, to pressure car accident victims to sign the offer to settle right away, or it may be revoked.
- Throughout the legal procedure, a car accident lawyer can offer you helpful legal advice. Remember, they have helped hundreds of other car accident victims and they understand the process, and all its pitfalls very well. They can help you to decide the appropriate course of action, as well as help you understand your legal rights and evaluate the advantages and weaknesses of your case.
As well, they can advocate for you in court if necessary, improving your chances of winning your case. To appear in court without a personal injury lawyer can be a severe setback for your case. At the very least, appearing in court before a judge but no personal injury lawyer to helps is daunting.
- Additionally, hiring legal counsel after a car accident might level the playing field between you and the insurance provider. Insurance companies have hoards of lawyers and adjusters to deal with vehicle accident cases. And, they frequently delay, deny, and discount what your case is truly worth. A personal injury lawyer can fight for your rights.
Ultimately, the particular circumstances of your case will determine whether hiring a car accident lawyer is worthwhile. You might be able to manage the legal process on your own if you were involved in a minor accident with no injuries or considerable property damage.
However, it can be in your best interests to hire a vehicle accident lawyer if you sustained serious injuries or major property damage, or if the legal procedure is exceptionally complicated.
It’s crucial to select a car accident lawyer with experience in car accidents if you’re thinking about hiring one. Find a car accident lawyer who only practices personal injury law, has a solid reputation, and is eager to work with you at every stage of your case.
If you have been in a serious accident or if the legal process is very complicated, it may be an excellent idea to hire a car accident lawyer. A lawyer can help you to navigate the legal system, settle claims with insurance companies, and obtaine fair compensation for your injuries and losses.
If you’re thinking about hiring a car accident lawyer, pick one with a reputation for excellence and expertise, and double-check about fees and billing procedures upfront.