If you’ve been involved in an automobile accident, you may find yourself asking the question of “do I need a San Diego car accident attorney?” Cutting to the bottom line, if you’ve been in a car accident, you need to give very serious consideration to hiring a San Diego car accident lawyer immediately.

In the aftermath of a car accident, you very well may hear an injured person make any number of statements along the lines of:

“I don’t need an attorney. I can file a claim myself.”

“I’ve not been injured badly or if at all and I don’t need a lawyer.”

“Lawyers cost too much money.”

The fact is there are a number of significant reasons why you need to seriously consider retaining a San Diego car accident attorney immediately following a car accident. These include:

• There is no such thing as a “small” car accident case
• Deadlines are looming
• Insurance claim complications can be avoided with legal counsel
• Medical documentation of a case needs to be careful and precise
• Importance of an initial consultation

No Such Thing as a “Small” Car Accident Case

In fact, there may be an occasional situation in which the results of a car accident are not at all significant. In most cases involving a car accident there likely are injuries, damages, and losses that warrant the pursuit of compensation.

With these points noted, if you are involved in a car accident, you are wise to not only tend to medical considerations promptly but you are also prudent to schedule an initial consultation with a qualified, capable San Diego car accident attorney. As is discussed further in a moment, an experienced lawyer can provide you with a meaningful evaluation of your case. A personal injury lawyer can determine whether and how you should proceed with a claim.

Deadlines Loom

Deadlines loom and they do so not long after a car accident occurs. There can be deadlines associated with an insurance claim. Missing such a milestone can make the pursuit of a claim for compensation more problematic.

In California, there is a law known as the statute of limitations. This law establishes what fairly can be called an absolute deadline by which a car accident lawsuit must be filed in court. Missing this substantial deadline can result in you being prevented from ever pursuing your case again. You may forever be precluded from obtaining compensation you deserve for injuries and losses associated with a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence.

Deadlines associated with automobile accident claims and lawsuits underscore who you need a San Diego automobile accident lawyer. Legal counsel is both familiar with the timeframes associated with pursuing a car accident claim as well as with important statutory provisions that must be complied with in order to pursue litigation.

Insurance Claim Complications

Insurance claims complications can arise following a car accident. Certain complications can be quite complex and difficult for an injured claimant to maneuver through on his or her own. The general complexity of insurance claims in the 21^st century, coupled with the fact that problems and complications can and do arise, underscore the need to retain legal counsel following a car accident.

Moreover, the potential for insurance claim complications underscores the need for retaining a San Diego motor vehicle accident attorney sooner rather than later. The idea of “I’ll hire a lawyer if my claim doesn’t settle in a certain period of time” would be a decision fraught with peril and could have dire consequences for a valid claim for compensation following a car accident.

Promptly Get a Medical Evaluation … Even After a “Fender Bender”

One important fact to absolutely bear in mind when involved in any type of car accident – even a so-called “fender bender.” You must always obtain a medical evaluation promptly (promptly means immediately) following any kind of automobile accident. There are two very important reasons why you must obtain a prompt medical evaluation following any type of automobile accident, including one that you do not perceive as being serious. And this includes a car accident in which you do not detect any injuries whatsoever. These two crucial reasons for seeking prompt medical attention are:

1.     There are a number of different injuries that can and do occur in car accidents that are not immediately detected, according to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. These include whiplash and associated damage as well as traumatic brain injuries. For example, there are cases in which a person suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of a car accident and did not think anything was wrong. In fact, the individual suffered a serious but treatable traumatic brain injury. Failing to seek prompt medical attention in such a situation has resulted in people experiencing serious and even fatal consequences

2.     If you are involved in a San Diego car accident caused by someone else, you will want to make a claim for your injuries, damages, and losses. As part of making such a claim, you need to be able to document the nature and extent of your injuries. That process starts immediately after an accident. As a result, protecting your legal interests is another paramount reason why you need to seek a medical evaluation directly after an automobile accident.

Prompt medical attention does not necessarily mean you need to be transported in an ambulance to a hospital emergency department. If you have a primary care physician and that doctor can see you on the day of an accident, that can be a suitable course.

While you must tend to medical issues first following an automobile accident, once you have taken these initial steps, it is not to early to make initial contact with at San Diego car accident attorney. Legal counsel will be invaluable in ensuring that your case is properly documented, including from a medical perspective. Therefore, having a lawyer on board sooner rather than later is important, including when it comes to developing a useful medical record associated with the injuries you sustained in a California car accident.

Importance of Initial Consultation

San Diego car accident lawyers provide prospective clients with the opportunity for an initial consultation. As a matter of general practice in San Diego (and elsewhere in California), car accident lawyers charge no fee for an initial consultation.

Through an initial consultation you can obtain an evaluation of your case, as has been discussed a moment ago. You can also obtain answers to your questions and learn more about both the insurance claim process and the procedures associated with a lawsuit in California.

The initial consultation and associated case evaluation is the juncture at which a lawyer may become your legal counsel, if you do elect to retain those professional services. In California, most personal injury attorneys do not charge a fee upfront for their professional assistance. They utilize what is known as a contingency fee agreement.

A contingency fee agreement is one in which you pay not attorney fee at the start of a case. Rather, a reasonable and agreed attorney fee is deducted from proceeds from a settlement or judgment if your case is successful.