More than 3,000 fatal car accidents were reported in California in 2019. Unfortunately, not all victims get fair legal representation or justice. If you sustained injuries in a crash in LA, you should consult an injury lawyer at the earliest. The statute of limitations in CA allows two years to file a car accident lawsuit. If the other driver was negligent, you could sue them for your damages. Of course, it won’t be an easy battle, which is precisely why you need to hire a lawyer. In this post, we have answered common questions about hiring car accident attorneys Los Angeles.
“Should I hire a lawyer?”
There is no one answer to that question. In general, if your estimated damage is less than $10,000, you can deal with the case independently. However, if you were at fault for the crash or have endured serious injuries, you must hire a lawyer. No law makes it mandatory to seek legal help for a car accident case in California, but you should always consider that.
“How can a car accident lawyer help?”
The role of an attorney is to protect your rights and interests after a car accident. The lawyer will investigate the car accident, find the possible causes, determine fault and liability, and gather evidence to bolster your case. While you should inform your insurance company, inform them vaguely. Your attorney can negotiate with your or the at-fault party’s insurer as needed. The lawyer can also file a lawsuit and pursue the matter in court if the offered settlement is considerably low otherwise.
“How much will a lawyer charge?”
All injury lawyers in LA take a contingency fee, where the lawyer only gets paid if you win a settlement. The contingency fee is a percentage of the final financial recovery, usually not exceeding 40%. You don’t have to pay a lawyer to evaluate your car accident case or fight the battle. If the lawyer has paid for other expenses, like the cost of investigation, you may have to repay those later when you get a settlement.
Final word
You need to contact an attorney immediately after a car accident because the statute of limitations in California only allows two years to file such lawsuits. Thankfully, California is a claimant-friendly state, and even if you were more at fault than the other driver, you could still file a lawsuit, although your fault share will determine what you get.
