Yakima Car Accident Attorneys

Do I Need an Attorney for My Car Accident in Yakima?

Technically, no. You’re certainly able to pursue a personal injury claim on your own, but there are several reasons why having an experienced attorney can help.

• We know the trade. When you file a claim by yourself for injuries you received in a car accident, you’ll be going up against an insurance company with their own legal team and enormous resources. They will do everything in their power to convince you that your injuries were not serious, that you don’t actually need compensation, or that the amount you’re seeking is far too high and doesn’t correspond with the actual damages. Insurance adjusters will contact you and ask for endless details about your accident and look for any reason to deny their client was at fault. An attorney with experience in personal injury law and familiarity with previous injury cases in Washington knows what tactics these insurance companies will use and the best ways to counter them. We will take the lead in negotiating your settlement. We will make sure that your injury claim is valid, complete, and free of errors that might get it denied on a technicality. We will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
• We do the hard work. If someone injures you or your family in a car accident, you have more important things to worry about than filling out insurance forms. You may be losing time at work or you may be in the hospital recovering or caring for an injured family member while they recover. When you hire an attorney to help with your claim, we take on the difficult task of proving your case. We will investigate the accident, gather evidence, interview witnesses, and hire experts to back up your claim. You can get back to your life instead of trying to figure out just what you need to do next to pursue your claim.
• We know what your case is worth. Estimating damages and the amount of compensation to request in an injury claim is not as straightforward as you might think. Though material losses, such as damage to your vehicle, lost wages, or medical bills, are easy to tally, depending on the severity of the accident and injuries, you may be able to claim noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering or loss of enjoyment of life. This is where an experienced attorney can help. We will use our experience with personal injury law and our knowledge of previous claims to help you come up with a number that covers all your damages, not just the ones that you can see. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, and your compensation should reflect this.
• Reputation matters. Insurance companies make money by collecting premiums from their customers and looking for reasons not to pay out claims. They are well-versed in saying no. When they see a demand letter from an individual seeking compensation for damages, they have the advantage. They can pay for a full investigation of the accident and have a legal team review the findings to look for a reason to deny your claim. When they see a demand letter seeking compensation from a law firm that specializes in injury claims, the balance shifts. They know that you’ve hired a legal team that can also fully investigate and can counter any settlement offers with supporting documentation. Hiring an attorney lets them know that they cannot take advantage of you.
• Threat of a lawsuit. If an insurance company denies your injury claim and offers no settlement, there’s little more you can do on your own. Insurance companies know that you probably don’t have the time or inclination to try to take your case to court. The equation changes when you hire an attorney. Though the vast majority of injury claims are settled out of court, hiring an experienced lawyer brings with it the threat of suing the responsible party and letting a judge or jury decide who is responsible for your accident. Going to court is expensive. Even if the insurance company thinks they can win, they will still have to expend money and resources to do so.
• A lawyer may be able to get you more compensation. This is the most important reason to retain legal counsel after an injury that was someone else’s fault. Doing so can mean the difference between walking away with a settlement and walking away with nothing. A Martindale-Nolo survey done in 2016 suggested that having an attorney assist with your claim can significantly affect the likelihood of receiving compensation and the amount of compensation you receive. According to this survey, over 90 percent of those that retained legal counsel after an injury accident received some form of settlement or award, compared with just over 50 percent of those that did not hire a lawyer for their claim. Also, those that pursued an injury claim on their own received an average of just over $17,000 in compensation. The average for those that did hire an attorney was over $77,000. Even after accounting for attorneys’ fees and court costs, those that had legal help walked away with about three times as much compensation as those that did not. The statistics don’t lie. Hiring an attorney helps.