Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer if I’m Submitting a Claim to Insurance?
If you sustained an injury in a car or truck accident and plan to file a claim with your insurance company, you might be wondering:
"Do I need a personal injury lawyer if I'm submitting a claim to insurance in Oklahoma?"
In an ideal world, the answer to this question would be no.
The insurance company would review your personal injury claim and send you the funds you need to pay for your medical bills and other expenses.
Unfortunately, the world is far from perfect - and insurance companies do not always act in good faith. As such, there are a plethora of reasons why you might want to consider hiring an experienced personal injury attorney to assist you with the claims process.
Reasons to Hire an Attorney When Submitting Insurance Claims
When you hire a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer to help you file an insurance claim after an auto accident in Oklahoma, you can expect them to assist you by:
Assessing Your Damages
Before filing a claim with an insurance company, it is vital that you have a clear idea of how much compensation you should expect to receive when the process draws to a close.
This information will allow you to start making plans for your future and help you ensure the adjuster does not attempt to short change you.
When you hire an experienced personal injury attorney, they will study the details of your case and let you know how much it is worth before sending anything to the insurance company.
To accomplish this feat, they will:
- Analyze applicable personal injury statutes
- Consult with medical experts about the nature of your injuries, and
- Compare your claim to similar cases that have recently concluded
In the majority of personal injury cases, the assessment process takes no longer than a day or two.
Filing Documents with the Insurer on Your Behalf
Filing a claim with an insurance company after a car accident almost always involves a lot of paperwork - and it is essential that each and every form is filled out correctly. Auto insurance companies in the state of Oklahoma often delay and deny claims because of innocuous administrative errors.
Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney can help you avoid making any harmful mistakes on your insurance paperwork. Having been through the process many times before, your lawyer will know how to handle any documents the insurance company asks them to complete, and they will be sure to file them in a timely manner.
Searching for Evidence to Support Your Claim
It is, unfortunately, not at all unusual for auto insurance companies in the state of Oklahoma to deny claims from their policyholders while asserting that they did not provide them with sufficient evidence.
Enlisting the services of a skilled lawyer can help you avoid dealing with a nightmare scenario of this nature. As soon as you hire them, they will start searching for evidence to support your claim.
Depending on the nature of your accident, they may look for:
- A police accident report
- Your medical records
- Photographs from the accident scene
- Testimony from witnesses
Because your attorney has been through the process several times in the past, they will be able to anticipate the materials the insurance company is likely to request and provide it to them ahead of time. In doing so, they can help to reduce the risk of delays in your payout.
Negotiating a Settlement Deal on Your Behalf
Once the insurance company has received the documents and evidentiary materials they need to approve your claim, they will give you a settlement offer. When they send it to you, they may also imply that the agreement is non-negotiable. In reality, though, this is rarely the case. Almost all settlement deals have at least a little room for maneuver.
When you hire an experienced personal injury and wrongful death lawyer, they will study your offer to see if it is fair and reasonable. If it is not, they can then reach out to the insurance company and attempt to negotiate a more favorable settlement agreement.
Your attorney will almost certainly have handled many negotiations like this during the course of their career. As such, you can feel confident that they know the best tactics and techniques to use to try to persuade the adjuster to improve their offer.
Once your lawyer believes they have extracted the best possible offer from the insurance company, they will let you know whether or not they think you should accept it.
Representing You at Trial, If Necessary
If, despite the best efforts of your personal injury attorney, the insurance company does not offer you a fair and reasonable settlement, you will have little choice but to take your dispute to court. There, a judge will review the details of your claim and decide how much compensation you ought to receive.
Working with a knowledgeable personal injury attorney can substantially improve your chances of securing a favorable verdict if your claim goes to trial. They will be able to use their experience and skill to argue your case in a clear and convincing manner.
Are you ready to hire a seasoned personal injury lawyer to help you file a claim with your insurance company? Then please do not hesitate to get in touch with the team at McGuire Law Firm. We have been providing legal services to the people of Oklahoma City for years, and we are ready to stand up for you.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma residents often decide against hiring a personal injury lawyer to assist them with their insurance claim because they think that they do not have the financial capacity to do so. However, their concerns are typically unfounded.
The vast majority of car accident attorneys in the state of Oklahoma work on a contingency fee basis. Under this billing method, they do not charge clients any funds up-front. Instead, they take their fee as a percentage of the eventual compensatory award.
Most of the lawyers in the Sooner State take a 33 percent cut when they recover damages for their clients. However, there is no law that forces an attorney to accept a fee of this size. As such, some litigators take as little as 20 percent of the award as payment, while others claim as much as 40 percent.
The best way to know how much a personal injury attorney will bill you for their legal advice and guidance is to schedule a free consultation and ask them. Taking this single step can help you avoid any nasty surprises when your case comes to its conclusion.
Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer if I'm Submitting a Claim to Insurance in Oklahoma? Contact McGuire Law Firm for More Information
"Do I need a personal injury lawyer if I'm submitting a claim to insurance in Oklahoma?" We hope the information outlined above has given you an understanding of some of the various reasons why enlisting the services of a skilled attorney can help you recover the compensation you deserve. However, if you require any additional information, please do not hesitate to give us a call or contact us online.
