For decades now, car accidents have been one of the top ways that Americans pass away or get severely injured. They’re terrifying, traumatic incidents, no matter the circumstances. The aftermath can often be one of the most difficult parts, though.
If you’ve been in a crash where the other driver was at fault, but they have been trying to skirt that responsibility, you probably understand how frustrating that can be. In fact, arguably it is more infuriating than anything else. How can we actually handle those situations, though?
One option that many victims take is to get the assistance of a car accident lawyer or attorney. Since most law professionals do have a specialty that they go with, it’s worth looking for one. However, if you’re not sure what they can do for you, you may be skeptical. That’s what we’ll be discussing today.
What is a Car Accident Attorney?
It might seem strange, at first glance, that we have lawyers dedicated to this specific purpose. However, if you take a peek at the statistics like these ones, it starts to make a bit more sense. As was mentioned above, one of the most common reasons behind injuries (especially serious ones) are car accidents.
Sometimes, they truly are accidents, and there is not one driver who is “at fault” so to speak. Unfortunately, there are many more circumstances in which there is a guilty party. Often it is because of drunk driving or otherwise driving under the influence.
This is known as “liability.” What an attorney can do is help you to prove that in a court of law. Of course, there will be some work to do on your side as well, but they’ll be able to represent you and help you to figure out what you need to do if you’re a victim.
How it Works
If you end up in a vehicular accident, there are a few things that you may want to immediately do. Although it isn’t always easy to remember them in the moment, it’s helpful if you do. Obviously, the first thing should be to get yourself medical attention. That’s always paramount, but honestly, it will probably be your first concern anyhow.
What should you do next, though? Well, you’ll need to report the incident to law enforcement. However, if there was a need for serious medical attention, there is a good chance that the police are already on their way as well. If that isn’t the case, you will need to call to report it.
From there, you’ll want to do your best to gather any evidence that you can. Now, this will depend on how lucid and safe you are. For instance, if you’re being moved to the emergency room immediately, then this likely won’t be possible.
However, if there hasn’t been extreme injuries, you should do your best to take the opportunity available. Take photographs of the wreck on your cell phone if you can. Even the surroundings and rubble can lend to your case. Additionally, do be sure that you get the contact details of the other driver involved in the accident.
The last step you’ll want to take is to get in contact with a lawyer. In terms of what that might look like, you can see an example here: https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.20220602067876. In general, though, it will largely depend on what sort of settlement you’re after, and whether you feel the other driver has liability.
Explaining “Liability” in this Context
The word “liability” has a ton of different meanings, so it’s important to contextualize it in terms of law. When used in reference to car accidents specifically, it means that one of the drivers is at fault for the crash occurring. That said, this could manifest in a few various ways.
Reckless driving is one of them, although it can be somewhat hard to prove that at times. Some examples would be speeding, swerving into a lane going the opposite direction, or something similar to that. Any of those situations could merit calling a Car Accident Lawyer In Virginia Beach, amongst several other examples.
Perhaps the most serious example of liability is operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Often, these are some of the worst crashes that we see on the road. If you suspect that the other driver is drunk driving, that’s something that you should absolutely mention to law enforcement at the scene.
Texting while driving is another pretty bad one and comes up a lot more often than you would hope for something that is warned against so much. Unfortunately, this does not stop a lot of people from texting while they’re behind the wheel. That’s definitely a case in which they would assume liability.
What to Look for in an Attorney
With all of that being said, you’re probably still wondering how to actually go about picking your lawyer. Here in Virginia Beach, you do have plenty of options. Since it’s a busy city, there are a fair number of car crashes – meaning that lawyers who specialize in such a thing are available.
Ideally, they will be experts in this particular field of law, seeing as there are so many. So, that’s probably the first thing to look for. Otherwise, you may want to check out their websites to see what they have to say about things like what they prioritize for their clients. This can give you an idea of what to expect out of the process.
Consultations are often free if you talk with the right lawyers, so consider trying out a few different attorneys by presenting your case and seeing what they have to say. It’s a litmus test for both of you, really, since they’ll get a sense for whether or not you have a good chance of winning even from that first meeting. That isn’t always the case, of course, but it is certainly worth talking to them before you commit either way.