Charlottesville VA Auto Accident Lawyers

Charlottesville VA auto accident lawyers Do I Need an Auto Accident Lawyer?

When you get involved in an accident that leaves you injured and changes your life, it may be difficult to find out your next steps. Hiring a lawyer is not necessary in minor cases, but if you were seriously injured, your vehicle has had significant damage, or you have expenses that you need to pay, seeking legal assistance may be beneficial. After an accident, many victims are stuck with the cost of medical bills and other miscellaneous expenses. To find out what damages you can claim, speak to an experienced car accident lawyer so they can assess your case. Car accidents happen every day, but an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, Virginia can make sure you aren’t just another statistic.

Any car accident – no matter how minor – has the potential to cause serious medical issues and expenses. You can walk away from a fender bender, or barely survive a major pile-up, but in either case, you’ll have to deal with insurance companies, bills, and even lost wages. Dealing with these tasks on your own can not only be a hassle, but a risk. Your chances of succeeding and obtaining the compensation you need and deserve are smaller if you choose not to work with a lawyer.

The financial costs of an accident can be overwhelming. Medical bills can add up and quickly skyrocket, and the cost of a single treatment can reach up to thousands of dollars. For many patients, the financial burden that comes with an accident injury is one of the biggest sources of stress. You might hope that insurance will cover some amount of your injuries, but you can never count on them to keep you afloat. However, if you don’t have insurance, your expenses can be significantly higher. A car accident lawyer will fight for you so that you are not overwhelmed with your expenses. They will explore every possible financial source so that all of your costs are taken care of. The time and money it costs to hire a lawyer is worth it in the long run. Sometimes, it pays to turn to a qualified legal resource that can help you secure important financial compensation.

Before you seek out a car accident lawyer, it pays to know all you can about the dangers of a car accident, and whether or not you’ll be able to seek damages for your injuries. Knowing specifically what the dangers are for your particular case is important so that you understand what damages you can claim.

Knowing the risks:

There are many factors that can affect how severe your injuries are in a car accident, such as vehicle speed, location of the vehicles, and whether or not you are wearing a seatbelt. Every car accident is different, and so are the potential injuries:

Whiplash: The rapid back-and-forth motion of a passenger’s neck can lead to serious medical complications after a car accident. While you may be feeling too much adrenaline after an accident to notice anything, over the next few days (and even weeks) you might notice soreness that won’t go away, or you might not be able to move your neck as much. Your muscles can feel really tense and your range of motion may be extremely limited. Whiplash causes a lot of trouble for car accident victims. It can be expensive to fix. However, for many victims the condition is temporary and goes away after several days.
Traumatic brain injuries: Any kind of brain injury is serious, but if you believe you have suffered a traumatic brain injury you should take action right away. You should always get yourself checked out by a medical professional if you suspect you’ve experienced any kind of head injury. If you aren’t feeling any symptoms, there’s still no way to be sure you’re healthy. Brain injury symptoms may not be immediately apparent. Car accidents have the potential to cause serious and long-lasting brain injuries, and getting medical attention right away is the only way to prevent head injuries from developing into permanent damage.
Burns: While most car accidents don’t turn into burning wrecks, there’s always the chance you might burn yourself on some exposed components while getting out of a damaged vehicle. Your car may have come in contact with a wire or your engine might suddenly combust. And of course, if your accident did turn into a burning wreck, you might need therapy for the physical (and mental) harm.

Aside from serious medical bills, you may be struggling with lost wages: Chances are, you aren’t able to clock in for work every day after you’ve experienced a serious car accident. Fortunately, having the right legal assistance can change your financial outlook for the better. A skilled car accident lawyer will examine your damages and determine if you need

After a car accident, it’s best to not speak to the other party’s insurance company yourself. If they attempt to contact you in any way you do not have to give them a response. Talking to them is not recommended because they may use your statements against you. Let your auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA to do the talking instead.

MartinWren, P.C. – Your Auto Accident Lawyer

At MartinWren, P.C., we understand the dangers of a car accident. We also understand that right after your accident, you’ll be swamped with overwhelming medical bills and paperwork – all while you’re trying to recover from a potentially-traumatizing crash. The last thing you may want to do is deal with the inconvenience of a legal battle. However, as a car accident victim you should not have to shoulder the costs of an accident that you did not cause. Nobody should have to worry about bills and money when they’re trying to get well, and with the right legal assistance, you can continue to focus on what matters most. Your speedy recovery is our number one priority and we want to help facilitate your recovery. As dedicated and trusted lawyers, we will work to be your advocate so that you can obtain the settlement you deserve.

Reach out to MartinWren, P.C. today, and see how an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA can help you rebuild your future.

In today’s age, cell phones have quickly become a necessity. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people are injured in accidents in which distracted driving was present. When a person looks down at their phone to answer an email or respond to a text message, they take their eyes away from the most important task of all, driving. Although states attempt to reduce the number of driver’s using their phones by putting laws in place; people are still giving in to temptation. If you have been the victim of an accident, an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, Virginia can help, especially when it comes to proving that the driver was texting when they caused the accident.

Proving the Driver was Texting

Texting and driving is incredibly dangerous. Unfortunately, despite its risks, many drivers still engage in this type of behavior when behind the wheel. Have you ever been driving and spotted someone driving too slow or weaving in an out of their lane? You may have suspected they were texting. Despite this, you may have not know for sure whether this was truly to be the case.

If you have been the victim of a car accident, there may be a number of ways to prove that the driver was using their cell phone at the time of the accident. Accessing the representation and guidance of a Charlottesville, VA auto accident lawyer can be incredibly helpful when it comes to this. They may play a key role in helping to gather this key information to build a strong case.

Checking cell phone records
Speaking with eyewitnesses
Reviewing the police report
Speaking with the driver to ask what happened
Reviewing video footage from the crash (if available)

For accident victims, the idea of gathering this type of information can seem daunting, especially when recovering from an injury. With a Charlottesville, VA auto accident lawyer by your side, the process may not feel as overwhelming. Not only will an attorney know exactly what will be needed to prove the driver was texting, they will also know which information will be key to help prove your case. This can help alleviate a lot of stress for an accident victim, allowing them to focus on their recovery.

Negligence

In order to have a successful car accident case on your hands, you and your Charlottesville, VA auto accident lawyer will be charged with proving that the driver was negligent. When a driver is found to be negligent, they may be held liable for the accident. In cases involving a driver who was texting and driving, their behavior almost always constitutes as negligence. This is because when a person is distracted and behind the wheel of a vehicle, their ability to operate a car may be severely limited. This may result in their inability to have control of the vehicle. Proving negligence must incorporate the following key elements in order to have a successful case:

Duty of care
Breach in the duty of care
Causation
Damages

As the victim of a car accident, proving negligence will be key to obtaining the compensation you may be entitled to. An attorney may play an important role to helping you obtain compensation so that you may receive relief from the financial pressures you are under as a result of the car accident.

How to Calculate the Value of a Car Case

Personal injury cases include several different types of lawsuits. For example, slip and fall lawsuits and car accident claims are both types of lawsuits that may fall under the umbrella of personal injury cases. The types of damages that you may be able to collect are economic and non-economic. Here is what you need to know about calculating the value of your car accident case. Bare in mind that you should consult an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA for personalized advice.

General and Special Damages

General damages are difficult to calculate. These damages include pain and suffering, emotional distress and the effects of your injuries. Special damages, on the other hand, are losses that stem from your accident. This includes your bills, missed work, out-of-pocket costs or property damage. As an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA might explain, compensation may be available for these costs.

How to Calculate Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering is difficult to quantify. When calculating the settlement, you may use the multiplier or per diem method. The multiplier method takes medical expenses of the past and future and multiplies them by anywhere from one and a half to five. The per diem method, on the other hand, takes the days of pain and multiples it by a daily rate to come up with a result. The method used to calculate your losses will largely depend on the circumstances of your case. This can be further explained by an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA.

The most difficult part of the per diem method is justifying why you chose the daily rate that you did. You want to make sure that you choose a daily rate that seems reasonable. The idea behind this formula is to show that the pain that your injuries or the accident causes you is comparable to the effort that you would need to put in to go to work each day.

In many cases, an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA will use both methods and then use that range to make your demands. There is a chance you will get different numbers. This will be fine, because you still have to go through negotiations. You always start at the highest end of your settlement range and work backwards.

When it comes to negotiating your car accident case, it’s important that you have an idea of what you deserve. The entire process behind choosing the value of a personal injury case is complicated. You want to make sure that you negotiate a settlement that is fair to you and also reasonable. If you make too large of a demand, you may not reach a settlement, whereas if you ask for too little, you may be cheated out of what you deserve.

It is very important to understand that only after you consult an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA can you determine what the value of your case may be.

Emotional Anguish

Most people know that when a victim is in a car accident caused by another party, Virginia law allows them to pursue damages for the medical expenses to treat those injuries and loss of income if they are unable to work while they recover from their injuries. However, many victims do not realize that they may also be entitled to financial compensation for any emotional anguish the car accident and/or their injuries have caused them. An auto accident lawyer Charlottesville VA families recommend knows understands that these emotional injuries can be just as debilitating and severe as the physical injuries they suffer.

Emotional anguish or injuries can include anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nightmares, and more. There are even some accidents where the victim does not suffer physical injuries, but the trauma of the crash was so intense, or they witnessed another victim get severely injured or killed in the accident. They can be left with emotional injuries that interfere with their ability to work or even just live their day-to-day life as they did before the accident.

Emotional Trauma Symptoms

Multiple studies reveal that almost 40 percent of vehicle accident victims end up developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some of the emotional or psychological issues a victim can be left dealing with are:

Anxiety
Chronic fatigue
Compulsive or obsessive behaviors
Depressed mood
Flashbacks
Hypervigilance
Insomnia or hypersomnia
Loss of appetite
Mood swings
Nightmares
Panic attacks
Phobias

How an Auto Accident Lawyer Charlottesville VA Can Get Compensation for You

In order for an injured victim to receive compensation, they must show that their injuries have caused them to suffer some type of loss or damage as a result. As mentioned above, these damages can include medical expenses and lost wages. An attorney will use the victim’s medical records to show physical injuries and payroll records to show lost wages.

In order to prove that the victim is suffering from emotional injuries and to obtain financial compensation for those injuries, their attorney will need to produce evidence. This can involve having the victim evaluated and properly diagnosed by a mental health professional. This information is then included in the personal injury lawsuit as one of the areas where the victim has suffered losses.

Although many car accident victims think they can just pursue a car accident claim on their own, the reality is that the majority of victims obtain a much better settlement or award when they have a car accident attorney advocating for them. An auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville VA will evaluate the victim’s case to determine all liable parties. They will then gather the evidence of the victim’s psychological and physical injuries and show the correlation between the car accident and the development of symptoms. If needed, the attorney will also call medical professionals to testify should the case go to litigation if the insurance company refuses to negotiate a fair and just settlement offer.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring an Auto Accident Lawyer

When you’ve been hurt in an auto accident, one of your first steps should be to hire an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA. Here are some common mistakes to avoid when hiring a lawyer:

Hiring a Lawyer Who Promises You the Most Money: When you’re dealing with medical bills and are out of work due to your injury, it’s tempting to hire a lawyer who promises you the most money. However, you should be wary about hiring a lawyer who makes a promise like this. The amount of compensation you recover depends on several different factors, such as the cost of your medical bills, the severity of your injuries and the amount of your lost wages. No lawyer can tell you exactly how much money you will receive until they know all of these factors.

Selecting a Lawyer Based on Location: Some auto accident victims make the mistake of choosing a lawyer who lives closest to their home. You don’t want to do this. Remember that most of your conversations with your lawyer will be conducted over the phone or email. Instead of choosing a lawyer based on convenience, select a lawyer who has the proper experience and skills to represent you.

Choosing a Lawyer Without Trial Experience: It’s true that the majority of auto accident cases get settled out of court. However, if the defendant’s insurance company is refusing to provide you with fair compensation, it may be in your best interest to go to trial. That’s why it’s crucial to hire an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA with years of trial experience.

Not Asking Questions: During your initial consultation, the lawyer isn’t the only one who should be asking questions. You shouldn’t hesitate to ask plenty of questions about a lawyer’s skills and experience. For example, you may want to find out how many auto accidents cases a lawyer has handled in the past and how many years of trial experience he or she has.

Paying Out of Pocket: If an auto accident lawyer in Charlottesville, VA asks you to pay fees upfront, go to someone else. It’s best to look for a lawyer who works on a contingency basis, meaning he or she will take a percentage of your settlement. If you don’t win your case, you won’t owe your lawyer any money.

Have You Been Injured Due to the Negligent Actions of Another Driver?

Although there are some situations where unavoidable accidents do happen, in most cases, they are the result of human error. Texting and driving is 100% preventable, meaning, many accidents could have been avoided if the driver had refrained from this activity. Accidents that can be prevented can be incredibly frustrating for a victim. Seeking help from an auto accident lawyer Charlottesville VA clients turn to may prove helpful should legal action be necessary. Call MartinWren, P.C.today.

Charlottesville VA Auto Accident Lawyers