Top Questions To Ask Potential Car Accident Attorneys
by Lawrence Miller
Have you recently been involved in an automobile accident that wasn't your fault? Do you now need money to pay for medical expenses and a new vehicle? While you might hope that getting the money you deserve would be a simple matter of filing a claim with your insurance company, the reality is often different. A car accident attorney, like those at Scherline And Associates, may be exactly what you need in order to be compensated for your pain and suffering. In order to make sure that you're getting the best lawyer possible for your particular case, here are some questions to consider asking before hiring anyone:
How much time do you have left to file a lawsuit?
Although you may be under the impression that you have plenty of time to file, the truth is that you may only have a matter of months. While many states give you several years to file a case, others only give you a year. After subtracting whatever time you and your family spent in the hospital, you may actually have very little time left in which to file. A good car accident attorney will be able to let you know how much time you have left to take care of the situation. If you only have a couple weeks, or even days left, he or she will be able to get the ball rolling as soon as possible so that you don't lose your opportunity.
Should you even file a lawsuit in this state?
If you and the other driver are residents of different states, it may be a good idea to file your lawsuit in the state that the other driver resides in. If the accident actually happened in a third state, such as while the both of you were on vacation, it may be better to file in that state instead. Since each state may have slightly different automobile laws, a good car accident attorney will be able to tell you which state is most likely to result in a judgement in your favor. If he or she isn't actually licensed to practice in the best state, he or she should be able to help you find another lawyer to work on your case.
What sort of fees will you be responsible for?
When you find a car accident attorney who will work on a contingency fee basis, you may assume that you'll have no out of pocket expenses for the case. But some lawyers might expect you to cover the fees for filing the case and any other related paperwork fees. Although this is much less than the hourly rate plus the court fees that a different attorney might charge, it could still be more than you were expecting. By asking ahead of time, you won't be caught by surprise when the bill arrives.
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What kind of injuries can you hold someone liable for? How severe do the injuries have to be? When my husband was injured by a faulty saw, we weren't sure what we were going to do. At that time, we didn't have any health insurance and had to try to come up with the money for emergency and long-term medial treatment. This created an impossible time for my family. My husband was out of work and we had medical bills piling up because a product that we paid a lot of money for malfunctioned and injured my husband. So, what can you do when this happens? Read through my blog.