If you have been involved in a car accident, it is likely you are considering hiring an attorney to attempt to recover compensation for injuries you sustained or for damage to your vehicle. This is particularly true if the accident was serious. A car accident attorney can provide a number of benefits in assisting you after you are involved in an accident.
Legal Advocacy and Settlement
First, and foremost, an attorney will be an advocate for you throughout the entire period of representation. The attorney will actively support your case, whether during settlement negotiations or a civil trial. Further, the attorney will act in your best interests to help you achieve the best possible outcome.
An initial consideration is the statute of limitations, which is the time a plaintiff has to file a claim before the right to it is lost. Under Nevada law, the statute of limitations for a personal injury claim is two years. As a result, it is critical that you speak with an attorney as quickly as possible after being involved in an accident.
For minor accidents that did not result in injury or significant damage to your vehicle, you can probably speak with the insurance company yourself. For more serious accidents, it is likely that the insurance company will attempt to come to a settlement agreement with you in order to avoid litigation. Further, the insurance company will probably not initially offer you a satisfactory settlement amount.
For you, this may be the first time you have been in an accident, especially one significant enough to require legal representation. It is important to note that it will not be the first time the insurance company has been involved in negotiations like this. This makes having an experienced car accident attorney critical to help you obtain a fair settlement. An attorney can help in estimating the value of your injuries and the cost to repair the damage to your vehicle. With this estimate, you can make a better decision as to whether the insurance company offer is satisfactory to you.
Filing a Lawsuit
If a settlement cannot be achieved, an attorney can handle the initiating of a lawsuit. The process of a lawsuit includes the filing of a complaint, filing motions for court action, completing discovery, and the trial itself. Discovery is a very important, and often the longest, part of the process. The discovery phase of a lawsuit involves the parties asking each other questions about the case. Information is gathered through the use of written questions (interrogatories) and the questioning of witnesses under oath (depositions).
As part of the litigation process, the attorney will gather, among other items, police reports, witness statements, medical records, and lost wage information. In addition, your attorney will be able to respond to any requests the defendant makes, while protecting your legal rights.
For more information about legal issues related to car accidents or to discuss the potential of a claim you believe you have, speak with an experienced Las Vegas personal injury attorney. The legal team at De Castroverde Law Group can explain your legal options to you.
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