Can I Get a Settlement for a Car Accident Without a Lawyer?

Can I Get a Settlement for a Car Accident Without a Lawyer?

No, you cannot. Car accident cases are very complicated, involving complex legal issues and sometimes tricky medical issues that could prevent you from recovering compensation for your injuries. If you attempt to settle your case without an experienced car crash lawyer on your side, you will not recover full and fair compensation for your injuries.

The Defendant’s Insurance Company Will Not Treat You Fairly

That the defendant’s insurance company will not treat you fairly. When their driver doesn’t follow the rules of the road and their negligence causes you injuries, they should pay up a fair settlement, right? Well, they don’t have to. The insurance company will insinuate that they will pay your bills and give you some extra money on top of that. However, they offer this long before you have actually acquired the treatment you will likely need to get better and their offers usually do not account for any future treatment. This can leave you with a multitude of bills to handle on your own-even if you lack the money to pay for it. The only way to get a fair recovery out of an insurance company that refuses to deal with you is to hire a car accident lawyer. Your lawyer may need to file a lawsuit to convince the insurance company to offer a fair settlement. And filing a lawsuit in Illinois without a car accident lawyer representing you is extremely complicated. The insurance adjuster's main job is to pay you as little money as possible for your injuries, damages, and economic losses. They do this all day, every day, and are much more experienced than you are. Additionally, they have a small army of adjusters, investigators, and attorneys fighting to limit your rights to receive full compensation.

What Is a Fair Settlement?

Most laypeople who have no experience with civil litigation and personal injury law will have no idea what a fair settlement is for their case. There is no established calculation to come up with a fair settlement number. Every case is different. Even similar accident-related injuries can affect people differently. A car crash lawyer with years of experience knows what injuries and treatment are worth, but when you’re on your own against the insurance company, you likely won’t have any idea. For example, if you suffered a broken arm at the fault of a negligent driver, how do you come up with a fair settlement value? Sometimes friends and family members might have experience with an old case and tell you how much money they got for a similar injury. But what happened to them is much different than what happened to you. Maybe they had a lot more medical treatment than you. Maybe their case was located in a different county. The same case is worth a different amount in other locations. You may not know this, but an experienced car accident lawyer does. Your car accident lawyer can discuss current and past jury verdicts and settlement values but since no two cases are the same, they will help you arrive at a case value that compensates you adequately.

Do You Know the Statute of Limitations for Car Accident Lawsuits?

Do you know that you have a limited time to file a lawsuit against an at-fault driver for a car accident? This time limit is called the statute of limitations, and it applies to all lawsuits. A car accident lawsuit has a two-year statute of limitations, which means that two years after the accident, you can no longer file the lawsuit. If you miss the time frame and attempt to file a lawsuit late, you won't recover any compensation. An experienced and skilled car crash lawyer can keep track of statutes of limitations and file your lawsuit on time.

What If Your Medical Treatment Lasts a Long Time?

Some people without proper legal representation will attempt to get a quick settlement while doctors are still treating their car accident injuries. When an insurance adjuster is waving several thousands of dollars in front of their face for a quick settlement, many people take it. The adjuster might say, “I’ll give you $10,000 today if you settle your case!” That's a lot of money for most people. But if doctors are still actively treating the person for injuries, that's a dangerous decision to make. Let's say you settle your case for $10,000 one month after the accident. But your injuries don't fully heal, and your doctor then tells you a few months later that you need surgery! The injuries might then cost you $25,000, not $10,000. You can't go back and re-open your case against the defendant at that point. You will have to pay the $15,000 difference. Quickly settling your case can mean receiving a far lower settlement than you might deserve. This is one of the significant risks of representing yourself in your car accident lawsuit.

Are the Attorneys Fees Worth It?

A common argument from people attempting to represent themselves for injuries in a car accident case is that the lawyer’s fees aren’t worth it. The argument is that even if an experienced lawyer can get the client more money, it’s not worth a large fee. In car accident cases, lawyers generally charge a percentage of whatever they recover for the client as their fee. And if the attorney recovers nothing, you don't pay their fee. The rules governing lawyers established by the Illinois Supreme Court control contingency fees. In almost all personal injury cases, a skilled Illinois personal injury lawyer will be able to win much more compensation for the client than they could on their own, and this will usually justify the percentage contingency fee. There is no good argument to attempt to handle your serious injury car accident case independently and without the help of a knowledgeable and skilled Illinois car accident lawyer. If someone's negligence injured you in a car accident, call an experienced car accident lawyer.No, you cannot. Car accident cases are very complicated, involving complex legal issues and sometimes tricky medical issues that could prevent you from recovering compensation for your injuries. If you attempt to settle your case without an experienced car crash lawyer on your side, you will not recover full and fair compensation for your injuries.

The Defendant’s Insurance Company Will Not Treat You Fairly

That the defendant’s insurance company will not treat you fairly. When their driver doesn’t follow the rules of the road and their negligence causes you injuries, they should pay up a fair settlement, right? Well, they don’t have to. The insurance company will insinuate that they will pay your bills and give you some extra money on top of that. However, they offer this long before you have actually acquired the treatment you will likely need to get better and their offers usually do not account for any future treatment. This can leave you with a multitude of bills to handle on your own-even if you lack the money to pay for it. The only way to get a fair recovery out of an insurance company that refuses to deal with you is to hire a car accident lawyer. Your lawyer may need to file a lawsuit to convince the insurance company to offer a fair settlement. And filing a lawsuit in Illinois without a car accident lawyer representing you is extremely complicated. The insurance adjuster's main job is to pay you as little money as possible for your injuries, damages, and economic losses. They do this all day, every day, and are much more experienced than you are. Additionally, they have a small army of adjusters, investigators, and attorneys fighting to limit your rights to receive full compensation.

What Is a Fair Settlement?

Most laypeople who have no experience with civil litigation and personal injury law will have no idea what a fair settlement is for their case. There is no established calculation to come up with a fair settlement number. Every case is different. Even similar accident-related injuries can affect people differently. A car crash lawyer with years of experience knows what injuries and treatment are worth, but when you’re on your own against the insurance company, you likely won’t have any idea. For example, if you suffered a broken arm at the fault of a negligent driver, how do you come up with a fair settlement value? Sometimes friends and family members might have experience with an old case and tell you how much money they got for a similar injury. But what happened to them is much different than what happened to you. Maybe they had a lot more medical treatment than you. Maybe their case was located in a different county. The same case is worth a different amount in other locations. You may not know this, but an experienced car accident lawyer does. Your car accident lawyer can discuss current and past jury verdicts and settlement values but since no two cases are the same, they will help you arrive at a case value that compensates you adequately.

Do You Know the Statute of Limitations for Car Accident Lawsuits?

Do you know that you have a limited time to file a lawsuit against an at-fault driver for a car accident? This time limit is called the statute of limitations, and it applies to all lawsuits. A car accident lawsuit has a two-year statute of limitations, which means that two years after the accident, you can no longer file the lawsuit. If you miss the time frame and attempt to file a lawsuit late, you won't recover any compensation. An experienced and skilled car crash lawyer can keep track of statutes of limitations and file your lawsuit on time.

What If Your Medical Treatment Lasts a Long Time?

Some people without proper legal representation will attempt to get a quick settlement while doctors are still treating their car accident injuries. When an insurance adjuster is waving several thousands of dollars in front of their face for a quick settlement, many people take it. The adjuster might say, “I’ll give you $10,000 today if you settle your case!” That's a lot of money for most people. But if doctors are still actively treating the person for injuries, that's a dangerous decision to make. Let's say you settle your case for $10,000 one month after the accident. But your injuries don't fully heal, and your doctor then tells you a few months later that you need surgery! The injuries might then cost you $25,000, not $10,000. You can't go back and re-open your case against the defendant at that point. You will have to pay the $15,000 difference. Quickly settling your case can mean receiving a far lower settlement than you might deserve. This is one of the significant risks of representing yourself in your car accident lawsuit.

Are the Attorneys Fees Worth It?

A common argument from people attempting to represent themselves for injuries in a car accident case is that the lawyer’s fees aren’t worth it. The argument is that even if an experienced lawyer can get the client more money, it’s not worth a large fee. In car accident cases, lawyers generally charge a percentage of whatever they recover for the client as their fee. And if the attorney recovers nothing, you don't pay their fee. The rules governing lawyers established by the Illinois Supreme Court control contingency fees. In almost all personal injury cases, a skilled Illinois personal injury lawyer will be able to win much more compensation for the client than they could on their own, and this will usually justify the percentage contingency fee. There is no good argument to attempt to handle your serious injury car accident case independently and without the help of a knowledgeable and skilled Illinois car accident lawyer. If someone's negligence injured you in a car accident, call an experienced car accident lawyer.