You’ve just been involved in a relatively minor auto accident and your first thought may be to rule out hiring a Philadelphia accident attorney. After all, there’s just some damage to your vehicle and a day or two of lost work involved. You may be worried that you can’t afford an attorney because the accident wasn’t spectacular, or you want to move on as quickly as possible and you think that hiring an attorney will just delay matters.
You Cannot Completely Count on Your Insurance Agent
The truth is that you may be right. This could be one of those cases in which your insurance company will make a fair offer and quickly end the case. But what if you’re wrong? After all, even though you chose your insurance and may have a great relationship with your agent, the job of an insurance company adjuster is to keep costs down as much as possible. That means their settlement offer is likely much lower than what you may deserve under the law.
An Accident Attorney Levels the Playing Field
The only way to avoid your insurer taking advantage of you is to rely on the advice of an experienced accident attorney. Let’s say you were right and the insurance company’s settlement offer is a good one. It won’t take an attorney very long to figure that out and put your mind at ease.
Accident Attorneys Know if a Settlement is Fair
What is the impact of having an extended warranty policy? Did you think to show proof of that policy to the insurer? If you had no serious injuries, your doctor may suggest that you return in two months to make sure there weren’t any serious issues that developed after the bumps and bruises went away. Do you know if your insurance will pay for future medical costs in the settlement?
Keep an Expert on Your Side in an Accident Case
If the insurance company for the other driver asked you to sign a “simple” document that will help to speed along the settlement check, would you think twice before signing that piece of paper? Did you read and understand all of the fine print in that “simple” document before you signed? Wouldn’t you feel much better having someone who understands all of that complicated legal jargon tell you whether or not you should sign a document from an agent for the other driver, or give them a brief recorded statement over the phone?
Unfortunately, there are many potential land mines awaiting someone who is inexperienced in handling accident cases – even smaller cases. When you hire a Philadelphia accident attorney you have someone whose only responsibility is to make sure you are treated fairly and get the settlement that you deserve.