Do I Need a Lawyer for My Car Accident?
Have you had a car accident in Maryville, Knoxville, or somewhere else in Tennessee? There are 19,937 car accidents every single day.1 That’s 14 wrecks every minute. The odds of a person getting in a car accident is 1 in 336 for every 1,000 miles you travel.2 Those are some alarming numbers! It means that most likely either you, or somebody you know, will get into an accident at some point.
What do I do if I just got in a car accident?
In short, if you or somebody you know just got into an accident, call the police. Leaving the scene of an accident is a crime, and you will need a police report. In addition, if the accident was severe, go to the hospital. Even if you feel okay, go to the hospital or urgent care.
In many car accidents, you won’t actually know if you’re injured for some time. This is because your body is in a state of shock after the accident and does not know that it is hurt. If you wait to seek treatment, the insurance companies will accuse you of faking injury to get money.
The insurance adjusters just called me, what should I do?
An insurance company is interested in one thing; paying as little as possible. It does not matter if your accident happened in Maryville, Knoxville, or anywhere else. On the day when you have lost the most, they want to pay you the least. The insurance company will dangle a number over your head, and you may be tempted to accept, but understand that if they are offering it, it is literally just a low-ball to see if you will grab the bait. Do not do this.
What can a personal injury attorney do for me?
What a personal injury attorney does is step in the gap between the injured and the insurance. Insurance adjusters are professionals at saving their companies money. They will take advantage of you understanding that you don’t know what they are allowed to know, or what they can’t know.
They are also hoping that in your trauma, you are not thinking about all the costs it will take to recover from your injuries. This could last years. An attorney removes your stress by standing in the gap and talking to the insurance company on your behalf.
Once you retain an attorney, the insurance company can no longer contact you. Your attorney will make sure all costs are weighed, that all future expenses are considered, and that you make the most from your injury.
How much does a personal injury attorney cost for a car accident?
It costs nothing. Law firms advertise, “either we win, or you pay us nothing.” They are pulling on your heartstrings making you believe that they will fight extra hard for you and that they are more caring than other lawyers.
In reality, every personal injury case is done this way on contingency. All personal injury cases are free for the injured party. Your attorney will get paid a percentage of what they recover. In Tennessee, this percentage is one-third.
Considering that the average individual that retains an attorney for their accident gets three to five times as much as one who goes at it alone, this percentage seems small.
How we can help you.
Shield Wall Legal has represented personal injury and car accident clients in Maryville, Knoxville, Sevierville, Alcoa, and adjacent counties. No matter what the national average is, car accidents on roads like Alcoa Highway, Chapman Highway, or Kingston Pike, happen far more often.
We have secured millions of dollars for our clients who have been terribly injured by other people’s negligence, and we can help you too. If you have been injured in a car accident in Maryville, Knoxville, Alcoa, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, Lenoir City, or anywhere else, contact us and we will give you a free consultation.
