When Should You Contact an Attorney After an Auto Accident?

car crash

If you’ve been in a car accident recently, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do first, especially if you’ve been injured. Here at Kreger Brodish LLP, we are ready to listen to you with compassion and fight for the compensation you deserve.

Before You Run Out of Time

When you’re in an accident in North Carolina, a clock starts ticking from the moment your accident takes place. You have three years to file a lawsuit or settle your case or your injury claim expires.

While that might seem like a long time, dealing with medical providers, personal injury, claims adjusters, and defense attorneys can be exhausting. Time can fly by while you recover and process what you’ve been through. In addition, valuable evidence can get lost over time. That’s one reason why it’s important to call a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after your accident. We can take over the legal work while you spend time resting and getting the medical care you need.

When You’re Dealing with Insurance Companies

You might be tempted to call your insurance company before you call an attorney. But if you call us first, we can save you trouble by filing a claim on your behalf. It’s also possible that the at-fault driver’s insurance company will contact you to ask you questions or to make you an offer to compensate for your injuries and property damage.

The problem with dealing with the insurance company yourself is that they don’t have your best interest in mind—in fact, they want to pay you as little as possible (it’s their fiduciary duty to their policyholder and shareholders). The good news is that if you call us before speaking with the at-fault driver’s insurance company, we can take over the negotiations and put pressure on the insurance company to pay you the much higher settlement you deserve.

When Fault Is Not Certain

One particular situation in which you should call a Durham personal injury lawyer immediately is when there is any doubt about who was at fault for the accident. North Carolina is one of four states, as well as the District of Columbia, in which “contributory negligence” is a complete bar to recovery. In these states, if you are determined to be even one percent at fault for the accident, you will not be eligible to receive any money to compensate you for your injuries.

In this situation, we at Kreger Brodish LLP will do our utmost to prove that you are completely not at fault for what happened. It’s also very important for you to not admit or even hint at any fault. Even a simple “I’m sorry” to the other driver can be used against you to attempt to demonstrate that the accident was partly your fault.

Even If You Think You Can’t Afford It

You might wonder whether you can afford to hire an attorney. The good news is that our fees are on a contingency basis, meaning that you will never pay us anything out of pocket. Instead, our fee comes out of the settlement proceeds at the end of the case. So you don’t have to worry about being billed hourly or having to pay us out of your own pocket while we work on your case. Also, if we are unable to obtain a settlement or verdict, you owe us nothing.

Contact the Personal Injury Lawyers at Kreger Brodish LLP Today

Calling the personal injury attorneys here at Kreger Brodish LLP as soon as possible after your accident can save you time and give you peace of mind—not to mention ultimately getting you much more money than the at-fault driver’s insurance company will offer you on their own. Let us take care of the legal work while you rest and recover physically and emotionally. If you’ve been injured in an accident, give us a call today to schedule a free consultation so we can get to work obtaining for you the compensation you deserve.