When you’re in an accident, it’s not uncommon to feel like there are a million things that need your attention. You want to take care of the police report, insurance claim, medical bills and more.

But before you can do any of those things, it’s important that you contact an attorney who will review the details of your case for free. Here are four reasons why contacting a lawyer after an accident is so important:

1. Lawyers will keep you informed and help you with insurance.

The number one job of an accident lawyer is to get you the settlement or verdict that you deserve. That means they understand how insurance companies work and what evidence they need in order to pay out a claim. For example, your attorney should ask for all kinds of medical records because that’s what the other side will be doing. They’ll also want to know what kind of treatment you’re undergoing and how that’s impacting your daily life. Since lawyers deal with these types of insurance claims on a regular basis, they know the questions to ask and the evidence required to get you paid.

If you’ve never been in an accident before, it can be tough to know what to do following the accident. After all, your car is damaged and your body may ache after the wreck. Hire a lawyer who will take care of everything while fighting for the compensation that you deserve. The lawyer will work with the police and eyewitnesses to gather all of the evidence they need, speak with your insurance company, file a claim for you and be in touch with you regularly so that you know what is happening throughout the case.

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2. Accident lawyers know what questions to ask.

While no one expects you to be a trained investigator, it is important that you speak with an accident lawyer who can speak with the people who witnessed the accident and the law enforcement officers involved. Doing so can help build your case or better understand what happened. Your attorney will look at all the evidence to determine if there was any negligence on the other person’s part so he or she will speak with police officers and witnesses before contacting your insurance company or starting a lawsuit for you.

3. Lawyers can review and understand the police report.

Gathering all of that information from the accident scene is hard work and the police report is the first place to start. But it’s not something you can do if you aren’t an expert on talking to law enforcement or looking at reports. That is where lawyers comes in. They are trained professionals who are experienced with speaking to law enforcement officers, have access to accident reconstruction experts and understand how insurance works.

A lot of personal injury claims turn on what’s in a police report and that’s why it’s important to contact an attorney after an accident if you want to ensure that your voice is heard. Your lawyer may want to speak with law enforcement officers who were present at the scene and he or she will need the police report to do so. In some cases, a lawyer may want to obtain a copy of your medical records or hire an expert witness to help prove that you were hurt in more ways than the insurance company is describing. 

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4. Lawyers work on a contingency fee basis.

Most people do not have thousands of dollars lying around to pay an attorney upfront. That is why lawyers usually require that you pay them after your case settles through a contingency fee agreement. Your lawyer will ask for a certain percentage of the settlement as their fee but they won’t get paid until you do. A contingency fee agreement means they only get paid if you do. If your case is unsuccessful, you don’t pay them a dime.

It can be overwhelming to think about all the ways you need to take care of after being in an accident but it’s important that your lawyer is the number one item on the list. Lawyers will speak with witnesses and police officers involved so they know what happened at the scene, review any relevant reports from law enforcement or other agencies, work out a contingency fee agreement depending on how much money you have available upfront for their services and keep you updated throughout every step of your case until settlement. If this sounds intimidating given everything else going on in your life right now due to the accident, don’t worry. Your legal representative will do his or her best to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.