Motorcycle accidents can result in injury, missed work, property damage, and complex legal claims. On top of all this, there’s the mental and emotional stress of dealing with insurance claims and other paperwork when all you really want to do is focus on healing and getting back to normal life. A motorcycle accident attorney can help, handling many of the details that you may not have the time, energy, or expertise to handle yourself.
How a Motorcycle Accident Attorney Can Help You
Case Evaluation
Most of us lack the legal knowledge to assess an accident and evaluate whether or not there are grounds to seek legal action. Further, in cases where there are injuries, medical bills, and lost wages, how do we calculate fair compensation? What about intangible costs like ongoing pain and suffering, how are those calculated? A Kansas City motorcycle accident attorney evaluates cases just like these on a regular basis.
Experienced local attorneys know the Missouri legal system inside and out, helping you decide if legal action is warranted. Further, an attorney can offer a detailed breakdown of how much compensation to pursue based on standard formulas and legal precedent. Having this expertise on your side is invaluable, especially in the days after an accident when you’re more focused on healing and pressing personal matters.
Evidence Collection
If you’ve watched enough television, you probably understand the importance of collecting evidence to support a legal case. But what exactly is the right evidence to collect, and how should it be arranged and presented? Further, what about acquiring other necessary documents like police reports and medical records? This is where a motorcycle accident lawyer comes in.
In addition to recovering all relevant evidence from the accident scene, an attorney will seek and collect witness statements, medical records, and police reports, as well as obtain testimony from medical experts and accident reconstruction experts in presenting your case.
Handling Processes and Paperwork
There are important safety steps to take if you are involved in an accident. Once you’ve addressed these, get ready for a mountain of paperwork. From insurance and medical paperwork to court documents associated with legal claims, post-accident processes can be overwhelming.
Despite how daunting this may be, it’s important to get every detail right as one small error can delay or even disqualify your case. A lawyer helps ensure all of these things are processed and submitted in accordance with their respective deadlines, which in turn means you’ll resolve your case in a timely fashion so you can move on with your life.
Dealing With Insurance Companies
Insurance companies are notorious for protecting their own interests above all else, and this often translates to paying out as little as possible and delaying settlements or judgments. These companies often capitalize on the fact that you are injured, under stress, and eager to get back to work as soon as possible. The desperation to put these situations behind us can lead to unfavorable settlements.
All of this is avoided by having an attorney represent your interests. Your accident lawyer will handle all correspondence and requests for information from the insurance companies, and inform you of how everything is going along the way. Lawyers are also well-versed in all the legal tricks that these companies try to pull, ensuring that you receive the fair outcome you are entitled to.
Reaching a Settlement
One of the key roles of an accident attorney is expediting the legal process of assessing liability. Once fault for the accident has been determined and agreed upon, the corresponding insurance company will likely want to pursue a settlement as soon as possible. Negotiating a settlement can be tricky, and it is in an insurance company’s best interest to pay as little as possible, regardless of what you may be truly entitled to.
For this reason, it is highly advisable to have an experienced accident attorney negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. Lawyers have access to myriad case studies and legal precedent to support your claim and ensure you receive fair compensation.
Representation in Court
If the insurance companies refuse to settle, or if your case is sufficiently complex, it is possible that you may end up in court. If this happens, you will surely want a lawyer representing your interests. As some of us have experienced first-hand, court cases are not always decided by who is right and who is wrong.
Court decisions are often determined by procedural tactics like how the law is interpreted and how evidence is compiled and presented. Your attorney will be experienced in using these tactics and will present all the details in court on your behalf.
These are a few of the most important ways that an accident attorney can help if you are involved in a motorcycle accident. Having an experienced legal professional on your side will relieve the burden of handling stressful processes and negotiations, and ensure that you receive fair compensation for injuries, property damage, and lost wages.