If you’ve been in a car accident, you’re dealing with potential injuries, insurance woes, another driver, and maybe legal issues. Why do it alone? Hiring an attorney to handle your car accident claim for you will get you the compensation you deserve and provide much-needed help through the complicated claim process.

Here’s Why You Should Hire an Attorney to Handle Your Car Accident Claim

Attorneys are familiar with the process

Filing a car accident claim or trying to pursue a lawsuit with the other driver involved in the accident are both very involved. The process can be stressful and taxing, and you may not even be sure that you’re doing the right thing. You have enough to worry about while recovering from the injuries you incurred—allow a professional to take over and manage the filing process.

Most of us don’t understand how complicated the law really is and dealing with a car accident and related injuries is no small matter. For example, you may not know that taking photographs of the accident site and the vehicles involved is a good idea, as is using a solution where you can store pictures in the cloud.

Allow someone with the appropriate expertise, experience, and connections to take over so that you’re not making any mistakes, missing filing deadlines, or taking a wrong step.

Attorneys know what kinds of compensation you can receive

Did you know there are more forms of compensation you can get after a car accident besides just medical costs? You could get compensated for other costs related to the accident, including future medical costs, rehabilitation, income you lost due to the accident or injury, or income lost due to your inability to earn.

It’s also possible to receive rewards for losses that weren’t financial, including compensation for the physical suffering you endured or the mental turmoil you experienced.

Punitive damages may also apply in situations where gross negligence or intentional misconduct was involved in the accident. Negligence is when the accused was acting in a careless or reckless way that then put others at risk, and intentional misconduct is when the person took an action that they knew would harm others.

Without a car accident attorney, you may not realize that you’re eligible to receive these kinds of compensation. It’s always smart to talk through your options with a legal professional no matter what happened in the accident.

Insurance companies consult their own professionals

Another reason to hire an attorney to help you with your accident claim is to manage communications and negotiations with your insurance company. These companies also have lawyers who are evaluating your claim, so you need legal representation that will put you on the same level as these professionals as you move through the process.

Hiring a lawyer could save you money

By hiring a lawyer, you have a better chance of getting the compensation you deserve after an accident. But you’ll also be able to speed up your case and have a better chance of winning with the right representation. If you were to lose a case because you didn’t have representation, you’d see big financial losses. And, many of them work under a contingency fee agreement, which means that they won’t get paid anything unless they win your case.

Many attorneys in your area likely provide a free consultation to help you understand the best way forward with your specific situation. When you’re dealing with injuries from a car accident and have questions about claims or car accident settlements, it’s never going to hurt to talk to a professional. You’ll find that having legal representation can only benefit you in the long run when dealing with these complicated matters.