After a Car Accident, Do I Need a Lawyer?

Attorney Tyler Bailey | 888-981-0034 | Free Consult

“You should focus on getting better, recovering from your injuries. If you contact a lawyer quickly they’ll be able to do that for you.”

After a car accident, do I need alawyer? It’s a common question for anyone in the aftermath of a car crash.

If you have been injured in a car crash it’s a good idea to seek legal counsel regarding your case.

Tyler Bailey is the founder of Bailey Law Firm, which is based in Columbia, South Carolina. He can assist with matters ranging from personal injury and workers' compensation to criminal defense, family law, and civil law. In this interview, he explains everything you need to know about what to do after a car accident.

To learn more, contact the attorney directly by calling 888-981-0034 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Key Takeaways From Tyler Bailey:

It’s important to contact an attorney as soon as possible after you’ve been in a car accident. In fact, other than treating your injuries, Bailey recommends it be the first thing you do.

Your lawyer will gather evidence from the scene of the accident to support your case.

Your lawyer may have a private investigator go to the scene and take pictures of the vehicles and any potentially relevant surroundings, like skid marks or broken property. If you wait to hire a lawyer or collect evidence, it will likely disappear and will no longer be able to help your case. This is another reason it’s essential to bring a lawyer on as early as possible. Lawyers will also be able to contact witnesses and have their testimonies notarized, which can be hugely helpful when proving your case.

Medical providers’ main concern is being paid.

If you contact a medical provider on your own to receive medical treatment, you will receive constant reminders and requests for payment. If your lawyer, however, contacts these medical providers on your behalf, they can assure the providers’ that they will be paid upon the completion of your case, and can even issue something called a “letter of protection” which often ceases all collection efforts on the providers’ behalf to the injured party.

If the other driver has insufficient insurance or none at all, you have two options to proceed with.

If you live in a state where it is mandatory to have uninsured motorist coverage as a part of your insurance policy, you can file your claim against your own insurance company, and they will pay for your medical expenses and vehicular damages.

If the at-fault party does have insurance, but it is insufficient to compensate for the damages, and if you have underinsured motorist coverage, your insurance company will cover the difference so that you can get the medical and financial help you need to recover from the accident.

Bailey recommends people get as much underinsured motorist coverage as they can afford.

The minimum is $25,000 in underinsured motorist coverage, but he recommends if possible you shoot for $100,000 or more in underinsured motorist coverage. Your underinsured motorist coverage will be limited to match your liability coverage.

If contacted by the at-fault driver’s insurance company, be careful of what you say.

In fact, Bailey recommends you have no further communication with the at-fault driver’s insurance company than getting their contact information and informing them that your lawyer will be in contact. Contact information should include the name of who you’re speaking with, name of the company itself, claim number, phone number, mailing address, fax number, and email address. If you already have a lawyer when the insurance company calls you, give them your lawyer’s information and let them handle all communications.

In some states, if you were partially at fault for the accident, you may still be eligible to file a claim.

If you think you may be partially at fault for the accident, it’s important to let your lawyer know. If it goes before a jury, they will decide what percent at-fault you are, and this can affect the amount of compensation you are eligible for.

To learn more, contact Tyler Bailey directly by calling 888-981-0034 or by submitting a contact form on this page. There is no charge for the consultation, and you never owe any out-of-pocket attorney fees.

Disclaimer: This video is for informational purposes only. In some states, this video may be deemed Attorney Advertising. The choice of lawyer is an important decision that should not be based solely on advertisements.