According to a recent annual report from Drive Safe Alabama, 1 traffic accident was reported in Alabama every 3 minutes and 55 seconds. The aftermath of a car accident, especially a severe one, can leave victims struggling with physical injuries, anxiety, and financial uncertainty. How can a Birmingham, AL, car accident lawyer help?
A car accident attorney helps victims build personal injury claims against the negligent driver and can answer any questions you have, inform you of your rights, and guide you through the legal process. What’s more, a skilled lawyer may be able to help you pursue compensation for medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and other losses sustained in the collision.
At Norris Injury Lawyers, our attorneys have been proudly helping the residents of Alabama recover maximum compensation for car accident injuries for over 40 years. Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or click here to schedule your free, no-obligation case consultation.
How a Birmingham, AL Car Accident Lawyer Can Help Your Case?
If you or someone you love has been injured or killed in an automobile collision, you may be wondering exactly what a car accident lawyer does and how a lawyer can help with your claim. The following are some of the ways a personal injury lawyer can help you after being injured in a Birmingham, AL, car accident.
Conduct a thorough investigation
Your Birmingham, Alabama, car accident lawyer will thoroughly investigate the cause of your car accident to determine fault.
This may include:
- Interviewing eyewitnesses
- Gathering photo and video surveillance footage from the accident scene
- Obtaining copies of police reports
- Requesting medical records
- Hiring car accident reconstructionists, engineers, retired police officers, medical professionals, or other experts.
It is important to hire a lawyer as quickly as possible after a car accident because evidence can be lost or destroyed. After taking on your case, your lawyer will quickly begin gathering evidence and send out a letter to the defendant and other parties demanding that evidence be preserved.
Assess the extent of your financial losses
In the days and weeks following a car accident, your main financial concern may be obtaining compensation for your immediate medical bills. However, while building your personal injury case, your lawyer will evaluate every possible way the collision may affect you now and in the future.
When assessing the extent of your losses, your lawyer will consider:
- The costs of current and future medical needs
- How your injuries have affected your ability to return to work
- The mental and emotional impact of the car accident
After examining the full extent of your injuries and losses, your lawyer will calculate an accurate estimate of the types of damages and amount of compensation you are entitled to. This will give you the peace of mind that you are not being taken advantage of by the at-fault party or the insurance companies.
Establish fault
In order to recover compensation after a car accident, you will need to prove negligence and establish fault. For example, if a driver was speeding excessively when the collision occurred, the driver failed to exercise reasonable care while operating their vehicle. If it can be proven that the driver was negligent, then the driver could bear financial responsibility for the collision.
Before seeking compensation from the at-fault party, your Birmingham, AL, car accident lawyer will need to establish the following elements of negligence:
- Duty of care: It will need to be shown that the driver had an obligation to follow traffic laws and drive in a manner that did not endanger others.
- Breach of duty: Next, your lawyer must prove that the driver breached that duty by texting and driving, tailgating, speeding, disobeying traffic signs, or engaging in other acts of reckless or negligent driving behaviors.
- Causation: The next step is to show how the breach of duty caused the defendant harm. For example, you would not have been injured if the driver had not been speeding excessively.
- Damages: Lastly, it must be clear that your injuries resulted in damages such as medical expenses and lost income.
Communicate and negotiate with the insurance company
Your personal injury lawyer will handle all communication with the insurance company and the other driver. This could include responding to letters, taking phone calls, responding to emails, filing paperwork, and more. He or she will also make sure everything is filed correctly and on time.
Another benefit of having an attorney on your side is that your attorney will handle all negotiations with the insurance company. For one thing, you would rather avoid the stress.
More importantly, if you do not have a lawyer representing you, the insurance company may try to pressure you into accepting a settlement offer that is far lower than what your claim is actually worth. A hard-working car accident lawyer, though, will not back down until a fair settlement agreement can be reached.
Represent you in court
The majority of personal injury cases involving motor vehicle accidents are handled outside of court. However, at times, a settlement agreement cannot be reached through negotiations. In this situation, your car accident lawyer may then begin preparing for court.
Before going to trial, your lawyer will need to take the following steps:
- File a formal complaint. This is a document that identifies all parties involved in the case, states the legal issue and why the court needs to preside over it, contains legal documents and relevant facts, and makes your demands for compensation.
- Serve the defendant. This document informs the liable party (defendant) that a lawsuit has been filed against them and states your demands. The defendant will have a certain amount of days to file an answer to your complaint.
- Discovery. This is the process of requesting information from the opposing party. This information can be obtained through depositions, written questions, or the production of documents.
Once a court date is set, your lawyer will present your case before a judge and jury. The court will decide if the other driver should be held legally responsible for the damages you sustained.
Keep you updated
At Norris Injury Lawyers, we recognize the importance of open and honest communication with our clients. While you focus on your recovery, we will handle all the legal aspects of your case. However, our legal team will provide you with regular updates as to how your case is progressing.
We are available to answer any questions you have and address any concerns. It is our goal to respond promptly to any emails, texts, or phone calls that we receive from our valued clients.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Birmingham, Alabama Car Accident Lawyer?
Norris Injury Lawyers, like most personal injury law firms, takes car accident cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that you will not pay any upfront costs or fees for our consultations or legal services. Your car accident lawyer only gets paid if you win your case, and our payment is a percentage of the award at that time.
Our law firm believes that you are entitled to legal representation, regardless of your current financial situation. That is why we proudly offer our clients our No Fee Guarantee®. This is our promise to you that if we do not win your case, you owe us nothing.
Recoverable Compensation Following a Birmingham, AL Car Accident
The types of damages you are eligible to recover following a car accident in Birmingham, Alabama, will depend on factors such as the extent of your injuries and who is liable for damages. A personal injury lawyer will help you identify all the financial losses that you have suffered and what types of compensation you may be entitled to.
Damages awarded following a car accident may include:
- The cost of past, present, and future medical expenses
- Lost wages for the time you were unable to return to work due to your injuries
- The cost to repair or replace your vehicle and other property damaged in the accident
- Reduced earning capacity if your injuries are so severe that you are unable to return to your previous job
- Compensation for pain, suffering, mental anguish, and emotional distress suffered as a result of the collision.
If you suffered the tragic loss of a loved one in the car accident, your lawyer may be able to help you receive wrongful death damages. This could include money for:
- Funeral costs
- Burial expenses
- Loss of support
- Loss of inheritance, and;
- More
Find Out How Our Birmingham, Alabama Car Accident Lawyers Can Help
Many Birmingham, AL, car accident victims hold back from hiring a personal injury lawyer out of concern for the cost. If you are worried about how much you will have to pay, remember that you will pay nothing out-of-pocket at our law firm. In most situations, the benefits of hiring a lawyer far outweigh the costs.
The legal team at Norris Injury Lawyers can help you fight for a monetary recovery, comply with all state and federal laws, and meet all applicable timelines. With our law firm on your side, you can focus on what is important – your recovery and your family – while we work hard on your behalf.
If you are interested in learning more about what a car accident lawyer does, and how our guidance and direction can help you, contact us today. Call us 24/7 at (800) 477-7510, start a live chat with us or fill out the online evaluation form to schedule a free case consultation.
