Car wrecks happen with remarkable frequency. They happen in every city and state. They occur on busy highways and rural roads.
You never know when a vehicle might hit you. Even if you are a particularly safe driver, that does not mean someone else follows all the driving laws. If you drive without any accidents for years, that probably means you are an excellent driver, but you also likely have some luck on your side.
If another driver hits your car, you might feel sure they caused the accident. Hopefully, their insurance
will cover the damages. If the other driver damaged your vehicle very badly, and the wreck hurt you as well, you might consider suing that driver if their insurance doesn’t cover all the monetary losses you sustained.
Even if their insurance covers your monetary losses, you might have pain and suffering that you feel deserves more money. That’s a situation when you’ll probably sue.
Should you hire a lawyer, or can you handle the lawsuit alone? We’ll discuss that in detail right now.
How Much Do Car Accident Lawyers Usually Take?
Car accident lawyers typically take about 33% of your compensation. They may take a little more or less. If you consider it, though, you may feel that’s a lot. For instance, if you win $100,000 from the other driver during a car accident lawsuit, you’ll probably only walk away with about $65K after paying the lawyer.
You may feel that’s too much. The lawyer didn’t sustain any injuries. You did, and you might think you deserve all the money the jury awards you.
You Don’t Technically Need a Lawyer in Car Accident Lawsuits
In reality, you don’t need a lawyer if you’re pursuing a car accident lawsuit. No law states you must have an attorney when you bring a lawsuit, whether that’s a car accident case or any other kind.
It’s like when a defendant a prosecutor says broke the law represents themselves in court. It’s relatively rare, but it happens. Maybe that person feels they can do a better job defending themselves than a lawyer can.
While you never need a lawyer to handle your legal case, the justice system strongly recommends it. If you consider it, it’s fairly obvious why most people who appear in court want lawyers who can speak for them. It’s because they don’t know the legal system, or at least they don’t know the law’s finer points, regardless of why they’re in a courtroom in the first place.
Having a Lawyer Means You Won’t Make a Crucial Mistake
If you decide to sue another driver and don’t hire a lawyer, you must study the law at least a little. If you don’t, you won’t know the steps you must take before you can make that driver appear in court. Studying the law will take time. You must learn the courtroom basics and etiquette you will follow.
When you do appear in court, you must know what you can legally say and do in front of a judge. If you don’t know the law and the process, you can make a mistake. That can cost you your whole case, and you won’t get any money.
Also, if you keep making mistakes, that might anger the judge. They won’t like it much if you don’t get a lawyer and you’re demonstrating incompetence because you don’t know how the legal process works.
That’s an obvious reason why you should strongly consider hiring a lawyer, even if you’d prefer to keep the whole sum of money you might potentially win if the jury finds in your favor.
The Other Driver’s Lawyer Might Massacre You
If you sue another driver, you can feel pretty sure they’ll hire a defense lawyer. That lawyer or law firm presumably knows the steps they should follow when defending their client.
If the opposing lawyer hears that you’re representing yourself, they’ll probably start salivating in anticipation. If you had a lawyer, and you also had overwhelming evidence on your side that proved the other driver caused the wreck, the opposing lawyer might suggest that their client offer you a settlement out of court. That often happens with car accident claims.
If they know you’re representing yourself, though, they will definitely not suggest that their client offer you a settlement. Why would they, when it’s likely you’ll make a mistake that will doom your efforts?
It’s another reason why you need a lawyer. If you represent yourself, the opposing lawyer might feel they can get their client off, even if there’s a mountain of evidence suggesting they broke some traffic laws.
Getting a Lawyer Makes Sense in Car Wreck Cases
While no law demands that you hire a lawyer if you’re suing someone following a car wreck, very few people try bringing lawsuits on their own. It’s like representing yourself during a criminal trial with no previous legal experience. It makes for good drama on TV crime shows, but it doesn’t happen much in real life.
If you hire a lawyer, they will have investigators who can look into the car wreck. They can get a police report that can support your claim. They might find video footage that shows the car crash. They can locate eyewitnesses who can take the stand and talk about what happened.
If you don’t have a lawyer or law firm representing you, you must investigate and produce all that evidence on your own. That takes time and energy. If you have never done anything like that before, you will likely find it difficult, if not impossible.
You might not like giving up 30-40% of your winnings if you successfully sue another driver, but hiring a lawyer almost always benefits you. You might walk away with nothing if you represent yourself, even if you had a slam-dunk case. Representing yourself in these cases usually indicates hubris on your part, and it’s almost always a bad idea.
