Car crashes can be devastating in countless ways. A serious car accident can leave you with catastrophic injuries, a totaled vehicle, emotional turmoil, substantial financial losses, or even the possible death of a loved one. If you are dealing with the aftermath of a major car accident, the attorney you choose should be highly qualified. A serious car crash lawyer should have extensive experience handling major car crash investigations and fighting for the rights of people reeling from life-changing injuries or the deaths of their loved ones. Scroll down to learn how to find an attorney with the right qualifications to handle your serious motor vehicle accident claim.
Why Finding the Right Car Crash Attorney Is Important
After a serious car accident, when you’re dealing with severe injuries, rapidly increasing losses, or the tragic loss of your loved one, you won’t want to choose the first accident lawyer you come across. The serious car crash lawyer you choose must have extensive experience negotiating with auto insurers and handling catastrophic injury claims. While you might see advertisements from personal injury attorneys in your area online or on television, knowing the qualifications you should look for can help you find the right one to represent you in your claim.
Extensive Experience Handling Car Accident Cases
A serious car accident will require an in-depth investigation to figure out exactly what happened and identify all potential contributing factors. An attorney who doesn’t focus on personal injury law but instead has a general practice might not understand how to properly investigate complex car accidents. Serious car crashes frequently involve debilitating injuries that can require ongoing, expensive treatment. Because of this, auto insurers often aggressively litigate against these claims. Having an attorney who understands the tactics insurance companies typically use to defend against serious car accident injury claims can ensure you are in a better position to secure maximal compensation for your losses.
Make sure your attorney has experience taking cases to trial. While most injury claims are settled outside of court, it’s important to ensure your lawyer has trial experience in case your lawsuit goes to a trial before a jury or judge. You don’t want to have a lawyer without trial experience who will be learning on the job while representing you in court.
Strong Track Record
Start your search by going to the website of The Missouri Bar. You can search for lawyers who are currently accepting new clients and are in good standing with the Missouri Bar. Look for lawyers in your city who focus on personal injury law. Review each lawyer’s information, and write down the ones you would like to look into further. Check their websites to get a feel for the attorney, their experience, and their track record.
Look at testimonials from former clients and read online reviews. These can give you an idea of what you might expect from a lawyer. Schedule consultations with the lawyers who give you the most confidence. Most car accident lawyers offer free consultations, and it makes sense to take advantage of them to learn more about an attorney and evaluate them.
During your consultation, ask the lawyer how many people they have represented in car accident cases and the percentage of claims that have resulted in compensation. Ask if they have taken cases to trial and what the results were. Ask if they have handled cases with similar fact patterns and the outcomes. While a strong track record doesn’t guarantee you’ll enjoy similar results, it does indicate that an attorney is competent and skilled at what they do.
Understandable Fee Structure
Most car accident attorneys offer contingency fees. This means that you won’t have to pay the lawyer’s fees upfront and will only pay the attorney when and if they successfully recover compensation for you through a settlement or trial verdict. The attorney will then take a percentage of the compensation they recover as their fee. Ask about this percentage.
It’s important to note that going with the attorney who offers the smallest percentage is not always the best idea. Some new lawyers will charge lower percentages than more experienced attorneys to try to gain some experience. Consider the percentage charged in comparison to their track record and experience.
Ask the lawyer if you will be responsible for other expenses during your case, including filing fees, expert witness fees, investigator fees, etc. Some lawyers don’t charge you for these types of expenses during your case and only collect if you recover compensation. However, others charge clients for costs incurred during their representation. Make sure you understand what your attorney does so you are prepared.
Ask About Compensation
If an attorney guarantees they will recover a specific amount of money for you, you should look elsewhere. Attorneys can’t guarantee that they will win a case or secure a specific amount of compensation. If one does, it is a red flag.
However, an attorney can value your claim and explain the types of damages that might be recoverable. They might give you a range of values you might recover based on their experience with similar cases in the past.
Speak with a Car Accident Lawyer
If you are searching for a serious car crash lawyer to handle your case, you should reach out to the Law Offices of Bryan Musgrave. Our attorneys have years of experience fighting for the rights of accident victims and have extensive experience handling catastrophic injury claims. Call us today at 417-322-2222 or contact us online to schedule a free case evaluation.