If you suffered injuries in an auto collision, and the accident was not your fault, an Arkansas auto accident attorney can help you recover the costs of associated with your injuries. In most Arkansas auto accident cases, an insurance company will be involved. An attorney can negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf and help you recover the money owed to you under the law due to the negligence of the other driver. In many cases, an Arkansas car wreck lawyer can help you recover more money that you could on your own—even when you take into account the lawyer’s fee!
If you have been injured in an Arkansas auto accident, contact Attorney Group for Arkansas to learn more about your options. We offer free, no obligation consultations. We can help answer your questions, and if you decide to pursue a claim for your injuries we can connect you with an affiliated Arkansas personal injury attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
Auto Accidents
You don’t need an Arkansas auto accident attorney after most auto accidents because most only involve damage to your vehicle. In those cases, generally, the insurance company will pay the cost to repair your car or pay you the value for it if it is totaled. For these types of accidents, an auto accident attorney will not be able to help you much.
However, if you have been injured in an accident, hiring an Arkansas auto accident attorney is usually in your best interests. Auto accident injuries may involve medical treatment, time lost from work, pain and suffering, and can sometimes even result in the death of a loved one.
Under the law, when these injuries have been caused by another driver’s fault, an injured party is entitled to a payment of money for these injuries. The law allows this whether the injury involves:
- A minor cervical strain, also known as “whiplash.”
- Major injuries that require prolonged hospitalization and time off work.
- Fatal injuries that result in the death of a loved one.
An auto accident attorney will work with the insurance company on your behalf to help you get the compensation you deserve. This is important because the insurance company has an interest in settling your claim for as little money has possible. Their representatives understand that you may not be aware of the money you are eligible to recover for after an accident, and many times they will use that understanding to take advantage of you.
What Happens After I Contact an Arkansas Auto Accident Attorney?
The legal process can be an intimidating one. It can involve courts, judges, juries, insurance companies, and of course, lawyers. Some people don’t want to contact a lawyer, even if he or she would be working for them, because they don’t understand how the process works, and they don’t want to have to go through the stress of a trial.
The mission of Attorney Group for Arkansas is to help injured parties learn more about their claim and understand their options before making a decision about hiring a lawyer. Our consultations are free, no pressure, and no obligation.
If you contact us, an attorney can speak with you about your case and explain the process to you in detail and in the context of your particular case. The process that is generally followed when you contact an Arkansas car wreck lawyer, however, is as follows:
First contact: You will speak with an attorney or the representative of an attorney and provide basic facts about your case—including where the accident happened, when it happened, who was at fault, and how you were injured.
Fee Agreement: If you have a claim, your attorney will ask you to sign a fee agreement for his or her services. Also known as a contingency fee contract, this is the agreement by which you hire the lawyer to begin representing you in your claim. The agreement lists the amount of the fee, as well as other terms of the representation.
Under most contingency fee agreements, you will not be asked to pay any money up front for the lawyer’s services. Any fee that you owe will be a percentage of the recovery that the attorney obtains on your behalf. No recovery = no fee.
Representation: Once you have entered into a contact for services with your attorney, he or she will handle all aspects of your claims, from getting a copy of the accident report to gathering your records to dealing directly with the insurance company on your behalf. You will be required to provide some additional information so that your lawyer can more effectively represent you, but you will not have to deal with the insurance company or the other driver (or the other driver’s lawyer).
Demand: If the accident was not your fault, and once you have completed the medical treatment required for your injuries, your attorney will make a formal settlement demand to the other driver’s insurance company. The insurance company will respond with its own offer, and your attorney will attempt to negotiate a settlement of your claim.
Most cases settle at this stage of the process, meaning that you are not required to give testimony and do not have to go to court.
Lawsuit: If your lawyer is not able to negotiate a settlement with the insurance company, it may be necessary to file a lawsuit against the other driver. Filing a lawsuit does not mean that you have to go to court; it simply initiates the legal process.
It also does not necessarily mean that you are exposing the other driver to personal liability for your injuries. The at fault driver will be provided with his or her own lawyer by his or her insurance company, and the insurance company will pay for all damages that the at fault driver is legally required to pay, up to the limits of his or her insurance coverage. In most cases, these limits are sufficient to compensate an injured party.
Discovery: After a lawsuit is filed, your lawyer and the other drivers’ lawyer will engage in a fact-finding process known as “discovery.” During this process, which helps the lawyers prepare if the case goes to trial, you may be required to answer written questions (called interrogatories) about your claim and possibly give sworn testimony in a procedure known as a “deposition.”
A deposition does not take place in open court. It is usually conducted in a conference room with just your lawyer, the other drivers’ lawyer, and a court reporter present. Your lawyer is present to defend your interests and make sure the questions asked of you are fair and relevant.
Trial: If your case cannot be settled after discovery has taken place, it may be necessary for your case to be decided by a jury in a trial. Although this is an intimidating thought, your lawyer should be experienced in handling jury trials and should prepare you thoroughly for the process so that you know what to expect.
Even though trials are sometimes necessary, the vast majority of cases (over 95%, according to some statistics) settle before trial. Resolution of cases through negotiation allows the parties more control over the outcome of a matter, and often results in better and more predictable results for both sides.
How an Arkansas Auto Accident Attorney Can Help
When the fault of one person causes injury to another person, the injured party is entitled by law to recover monetary compensation for those injuries. When negligence results in injury, an injured party suffers loss in various ways. Drivers or passengers who are injured in car accidents may be able to file a lawsuit with the help of a auto accident attorney and recover compensation for damages resulting from their injuries, including:
- Medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Lost wages
- Loss of ability to earn
- Scarring and disfigurement
The families of those who have died may be eligible to recover money for funeral expenses and the pain that comes with losing a loved one.
If the actions causing injury are malicious or so reckless that intent to harm can be inferred, the responsible party can be liable for punitive damages to punish wrongful conduct and deter similar conduct in the future.
Victims of negligence and their families are encouraged to seek the counsel of a car accident lawyer to learn more about their rights and remedies.
For more information, contact Attorney Group for Arkansas. When you contact us, an attorney will follow up with you to speak with you about your case or answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.
Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.
