Did you know that around 2 million people in the United States experience whiplash annually? Many of these incidents happen due to car crashes, and even a low-speed crash can lead to this painful neck condition.
While this condition often just causes temporary effects, it can cause long-term disability in some cases. So, you don’t want to underestimate your condition.
If you’ve gotten diagnosed with whiplash, you might wonder if you can seek a whiplash lawyer. The answer is that you can definitely seek one, and you should if it makes sense for your case.
Read on to learn about when to hire a whiplash lawyer, how to find one, and what you can expect during the process.
When Should You Hire a Lawyer for Whiplash?
When you have a car accident, you might not think about hiring a lawyer if nobody got hurt and you didn’t have significant damage. But when you get whiplash, you have some considerations to think through.
Mostly, it comes down to whether the cost of seeking a car accident lawyer is less than your potential award and how complex your case is.
For example, if you have minor whiplash that your doctor thinks will go away soon, hiring a whiplash lawyer may not be worth it. The exception would be if you’ve experienced major damages that your insurance company doesn’t seem to compensate fairly.
On the other hand, seeking a car accident attorney makes sense for major whiplash that has impacted your ability to work, attend school, or continue your normal life. The same applies if you’ve lost a lot of income or have suffered emotional trauma from the whole experience.
Further, you might go through with hiring a lawyer when your case has complex details that you can’t handle alone. This might include experiencing multiple injuries or being involved in a confusing accident.
What Are the Benefits of Working With a Whiplash Lawyer?
When you think about hiring an attorney, you likely think about the financial benefits. After all, the attorney can help come up with a valuation for your claim that goes beyond just medical bills and physical damage. They can help value the emotional impact and other losses faced too.
However, hiring a whiplash attorney does far more than just help you get the compensation you deserve for the accident. And these additional benefits can make your legal fees well worth the cost.
A lawyer for whiplash can take the headache out of dealing with your insurance company. Whether you need help showing who has fault or get confused about the process, your lawyer can help.
The whiplash lawyer also helps you gather all the evidence needed for the best outcome and compensation. They’ll help gather things like the accident report, your medical records, and witness statements to back up your claim.
Lastly, you’ll have someone who can answer any legal questions you have during the entire process. This can become invaluable if your insurance company tries to argue with you or you don’t know about the laws relevant to your case.
How Do You Choose the Right Attorney?
Do you now wonder, “How can I find a whiplash lawyer near me?” To have the best experience during the process, you’ll want to find a competent local attorney that ranks highly with clients.
To get started, you can try doing an online search for local whiplash attorneys or local car accident attorneys. Visit a few attorneys’ websites and see what services they provide. Also, take a close look at any testimonials offered as well as any qualities they emphasize.
But don’t just choose a personal injury lawyer after browsing their website. Instead, go see what others say about them on attorney review sites, social media, and community groups. Don’t hesitate to ask those you know if they’ve worked with any great attorneys.
When you have a few whiplash lawyers in mind, you can begin a more thorough comparison. You’ll want to consider things like their experience, education, and reputation highly. However, don’t discount other things like location and convenience.
You can give a few attorney offices a call to learn more about pricing and availability. Pay attention too to how the staff interacts with you. If they aren’t warm and friendly, you might decide that the whiplash law firm doesn’t fit your preferences.
What Does the Claim Process Involve?
At this point, you should have already reported your car accident to the police and your insurance company. You should have also seen a doctor about your whiplash and have followed their recommendations for any treatment.
So, moving forward you can expect to work with your whiplash attorney to help your insurance claim case as well as seek legal action against the other driver if necessary.
For example, your insurance company may ask you to submit evidence about who caused the accident, show the damage, and prove your whiplash. You’ll work with your whiplash attorney to get photos, records, documents, witness statements, and other crucial documentation.
You’ll also work with your personal injury lawyer when your insurance company offers your claim amount. If it seems too low for the situation, your lawyer will help you fight that and get the amount your injury and accident truly deserve.
In a case where you wish to sue the driver who caused your accident, then the attorney will gather evidence to see if you have a good case.
You might decide to pursue this action if the accident led to a significant disability or if the driver had acted recklessly. You might also have a good shot if the whiplash has also aggravated another health condition.
Consider Hiring a Whiplash Lawyer
Whether you feel sure or not about hiring a whiplash lawyer for your case, it doesn’t hurt to seek some initial advice.
Start doing some research to find nearby whiplash lawyers and arrange for consultations with a few of them. They’ll ask you questions about your case, discuss likely outcomes, and give you an idea of the costs involved. You can then decide whether you should move forward.
Go check out our other posts for more car accident legal advice.