Car Accident Lawyer in Fairfield, CT

After a car accident, you may be angry, hurt, or confused about whether to hire a Fairfield car accident lawyer.  At the Brill Law Group, a personal injury lawyer in Fairfield can help you get the compensation you deserve.

 

Should You Hire a Car Accident Lawyer in Fairfield?

In a nutshell:

• You may be able to settle your own case if you were not injured or only sought minimal treatment.
• Personal injury lawyers typically charge a fee equal to 33.33% of your settlement proceeds when the case is over. 
• A Fairfield car accident attorney can help you get the medical treatment you need and build up your case to maximize the settlement amount.
• Even if you were partially at fault or did not suffer catastrophic injuries, you should still look into hiring a lawyer.
• In looking for the right lawyer, make sure the law firm is experienced in auto accident cases and does a great job communicating with you.

After being involved in a car accident, you probably have a lot on your mind. Who pays your medical bills? Will your insurance company raise your rates? Who pays for your car repairs?

When you are not at fault for the car accident, you might be thinking, “should I file a car accident claim?” You may have seen billboards or other advertisements for Fairfield car crash lawyers. The attorneys promise big financial settlements, but their ads don’t mention their fees. If you’ve never consulted with a personal injury attorney, this may be overwhelming.

This article discusses all the factors you should consider when considering hiring a lawyer.

 

Hire A Fairfield Car Accident Attorney Or Settle It Yourself?

If you’ve gotten letters from the other driver’s insurance company asking you to settle your case, you might be tempted to negotiate your own settlement without a lawyer. Many lawyers will try to convince you that it’s a terrible idea to settle your claim by yourself. That’s not always true. Below are some situations where you might not need a personal injury lawyer.

 

Auto Accident Claims You Might Be Able To Settle Yourself.

Settling a small car accident claim is not rocket science. There are some situations where you can avoid paying car accident lawyer fees, get some compensation, and move on with your life. As a general rule of thumb, the following types of cases may not require a personal injury lawyer:

• No injuries.

If you were not injured, you have no personal injury claim. You might still want to pursue a claim against the other driver’s insurance company to reimburse you for property damage, such as a deductible your own insurance company charged you, or for property damage that your insurance company did not cover (like a damaged bicycle). But you don’t need a personal injury lawyer if you weren’t injured in a car accident.

• Minimal medical visits

It can be hard to know if you are hurt right after an accident when your adrenaline is pumping. But after a few days, you should know which body parts are causing you pain. 

If more than six weeks have passed since the accident and you have had three or fewer doctor’s visits, the insurance company may not put much value on your claim. In such cases, you might not need a lawyer.

 

Auto Accident Claims That Might Require An Attorney’s Assistance.

People injured in a car accident who have suffered more than minor aches and pains should strongly consider hiring a lawyer with experience in personal injury law. Proving complex injuries involving traumatic brain injuries, surgery, or even death can be difficult to do without a lawyer.

In cases with high out-of-pocket expenses, severe injuries, and serious claims for pain and suffering, an attorney can help secure the right experts. They can also help identify all available pools of insurance money for you to seek compensation from.

 

How Much Are Lawyer Fees For A Car Accident?

Most lawyers charge a contingency fee, which means they get paid at the end of your case out of the settlement money. Personal injury lawyers typically charge a fee of 33.33% of your total recovery. If your recovery is greater than $300,000, then the attorney’s fee may be reduced below 33.33% under Connecticut law.

 

Is It Really A “Free Consultation”?

A personal injury lawyer will take a percentage of your recovery, typically 33.33%.  However, you pay nothing out-of-pocket ever.  You don’t need to put down a credit card or write a check to hire a Fairfield car accident law firm.

The money you receive in a car accident settlement is your money—it represents fair compensation for what was taken away from you in terms of health, money, and enjoyment of life.

 

When Should You Hire A Fairfield Auto Accident Law Firm?

If it’s not a simple case you can settle yourself, you should shop around for an attorney right away. A lawyer can help you start your claim immediately, help you get medical bills paid, and begin working up your case.

 

Hiring The Right Law Firm

Car accidents can be overwhelming and life-changing. When selecting a law firm to handle your case, you should first look for a firm that focuses primarily on car crash cases. It is better to find a specialist than a “jack of all trades.”

The second most important feature in looking at attorneys is how comfortable you are with the relationship. Is the law firm listening to you or simply trying to sign you up? Are they communicating about the settlement process? Do they answer all your questions?

 

What Does A Fairfield Car Accident Attorney Do?

A personal injury law firm can negotiate on your behalf. Negotiating with stingy insurance companies is difficult and frustrating. The claims adjuster has lots of tactics they use to nickel and dime your case.

An experienced lawyer can help counter those tactics and resolve your case with a financial settlement. This may involve negotiating your case out of court or filing a lawsuit on your behalf.

 

How Do You Find The Best Fairfield Car Crash Lawyer?

The web is an invaluable resource to locate local attorneys. When searching for an experienced car crash attorney, you should ask questions about their process for handling claims and how much trial experience they have. 

 

Will An Attorney Tell Me What My Case Is Worth?

One of the burning questions you might have is how much money you will receive in a settlement. 

However, determining the worth of your car accident case is a complex process. It depends on the insurance coverage of the at-fault driver, whether you have lost income, your medical expenses, and your pain and suffering.

Things that go into valuing claims for car crashes in Fairfield:

 

How Severe Are The Injuries?

If you suffered life-threatening injuries, your case has a higher value than a few bumps and bruises.

 

What Do The Medical Records Say?

If the medical records support your claim of injuries, your case value increases. If they say your neck pain comes from years of playing sports, your case value decreases.

 

Do You Have A Claim For Lost Wages?

If you miss work time, you can be compensated for your lost wages, and your case value will increase.

 

How High Are Your Medical Expenses?

The higher the medical bills, the greater the value of your case.

 

How Much Insurance Coverage Is There?

If the negligent driver only has $25,000, that is the maximum you can recover from them. The greater the pot of money, the more you can recover.

 

How Are Your Injuries Affecting Your Daily Life & Hobbies?

Sometimes, car crashes cause people to give up hobbies (like exercise) because the movements become too painful. 

Other times, the pain gets exacerbated when doing things like housework, cooking, and cleaning. If you can’t cook, clean, sleep, or exercise without serious pain, your case value goes up.

 

Should You Contact A Fairfield Car Accident Lawyer If You Were Partially At Fault?

Even if you are partially at fault, you should still talk to a lawyer to discuss your legal options.

Car accidents occur for many reasons. People text when they drive, make illegal left turns, and speed. When a car hits the rear of another car, the fault is easily established.

However, there are situations where an auto accident is multiple people’s fault.  In car accidents like these, a jury will need to assign a percentage of blame to the other driver and you. As long as the blame is 50/50 or more against the other driver, you will likely win your case. 

 

Do You Need A Fairfield Auto Accident Attorney Even If You Didn’t Suffer Serious Injuries?

Injuries may seem minor initially but can worsen over time. It is advisable to consult a lawyer soon after the accident to ensure you are not overlooking any potential long-term issues.

 

What If It Was A Small Impact (Fender Bender)?

The severity of injuries is difficult to predict after an accident, whether there was a serious car accident or not. People assume that unless a car is totaled, the accident cannot cause serious injuries.

In reality, car crashes with low property damage can still cause severe injuries. This is because it is not the damage to the car that matters, it’s the unnatural jolting and jerking of your spine that leads to injury.

 

What If You Were A Passenger?

Passengers have the same right to file car wreck cases as a driver does. If you were the passenger, you can pursue a claim for pain and suffering against the driver that hit your car, or the driver of the car you were travelling in if that driver was negligent.

 

Does Hiring A Lawyer Mean Your Case Will Go To Trial?

No, 98% of cases settle before trial. Experienced law firms can often negotiate settlements without going to court.

 

Will Hiring A Fairfield Car Accident Lawyer Cause My Insurance Premiums To Go Up?

Your insurance premiums may increase if you are involved in multiple accidents. If the insurance company already knows about the accident, hiring a lawyer and pursuing a claim will not directly impact your insurer’s decision to raise your rates.

 

What To Do When A Car Insurance Company Raises Your Rates After An Accident

If they do raise your rate, you can shop around and switch to a new insurer. After all, we know from all the commercials that car insurance companies like Geico, Allstate, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, State Farm, and many others are aggressively looking for your business.

 

How To Ensure High-Quality Vehicle Repairs

It is advisable to use your own insurer to pay for car repairs rather than the at-fault driver’s insurer. You have a contract with your own insurer, and they have a duty under Connecticut law to treat you fairly.

Most people do not realize this, but your insurance policy will probably state that you have the right to choose your own auto mechanic. So you can use your favorite local mechanic to ensure high-quality repairs as opposed to a cheap auto body shop chosen by the insurance company.

 

How Long Does A Car Accident Claim Take To Settle?

The timeline for settling a car accident claim varies. Simple cases may settle within a year, but more complex cases can take longer, sometimes 1-3 years.

 

How Long After A Car Crash Can You File A Claim In Fairfield?

Under Connecticut law the statute of limitations gives you two years from the date of your car accident to file a lawsuit or settle your claim.

If you fail to do either within the two-year statute of limitations, your claim will be extinguished.  

Feel free to reach out for immediate help with your case.