How To Get Money from a Car Accident Without a Lawyer in Atlanta
Most accident victims have never hired a lawyer before in Atlanta, Georgia. As such, they don’t know what a lawyer can do to help them and whether they can win or settle their case without one.
In some situations, there might be benefits to handling your car accident claim yourself. In others, you’ll need a lawyer to ensure financial justice.
Knowing when you can handle your case yourself and how the claim process works can help you get money without hiring a lawyer.
How Hasner Law, PC Can Help With Your Car Accident Case in Atlanta
Hasner Law PC was founded in 2011. Founder and lead attorney Stephen Hasner has more than 25 years of experience in the field of law; together, the firm’s Atlanta car accident attorneys have more than 80 years of combined experience.
When you hire the firm to take on your car accident case, you’ll have legal help such as:
- A comprehensive internal investigation into your accident to gather evidence and establish liability
- Negotiating a fair settlement agreement on your behalf as well as handling all the communications and paperwork
- Bringing your case to court and even all the way to trial if that’s what is best for you
A car accident in Atlanta, GA, can cause a wide range of undesirable outcomes, from property damage to fatal injuries. Contact Hasner Law PC to schedule a free consultation and learn what you may be entitled to and whether a personal injury lawyer can help you with your accident and discuss the types of car accidents and the most common injuries.
How Common Is It To Get Money from a Car Accident Without a Lawyer?
It’s possible for accident victims to get money from car accidents without a lawyer’s aid.
Under Georgia law, insurers have a legal duty to pay claims after the claimant proves their policyholder’s liability. In other words, once you prove the policyholder caused the accident, the insurer must pay your claim.
Thus, whether you can get money from a car accident without a lawyer first depends on whether you have clear evidence of liability. Accident victims with solid proof of causation usually have better odds of getting money without a lawyer.
But then the question becomes how much money you can get. Even when an accident victim succeeds in getting money without a lawyer, they usually don’t receive as much. Studies show that claimants with a lawyer receive more than triple on average than unrepresented claimants.
Overview of How To Get Money from a Car Accident Without a Lawyer
Georgia uses a fault-based auto insurance system. The state requires all vehicle owners to buy property damage liability (PDL) and bodily injury liability (BIL) coverage to register their vehicles. An auto insurance policy contains a promise by the insurer to pay for any property damage or injuries caused by the policyholder.
When you suffer losses in a car accident, you file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. This claim includes proof of your losses, such as repair bills, medical records, and wage statements.
The insurer then assigns the claim to an adjuster, who investigates it to verify that the accident falls within the scope of the policy. If the adjuster accepts the claim, the insurer pays you. If they deny the claim, you’ll have to overcome the denial to receive payment.
You can get money without a lawyer following a car accident provided you:
Know When To Hire a Lawyer
Some claims, like those for property damage or even minor injuries, might not justify hiring a lawyer.
Injury lawyers charge contingency fees. If you only have $2,000 in losses, you probably wouldn’t want to spend $700 of your settlement on attorney’s fees. On the other hand, cases that involve complex issues often require a lawyer’s expertise.
You should consider hiring a lawyer for a case with:
- Unclear evidence of fault, particularly if you might share some blame for the crash
- Unusual losses, like a rare medical condition or complication from your injury
- Large losses, like the bankruptcy of a business you owned, due to your injuries
If any of these factors apply to your situation, you should at least speak to a lawyer about your case to determine whether you need legal representation.
Whether You Can Prove Liability
If you have clear evidence of liability, you might resolve your case without a lawyer. Some examples of evidence you could use include:
- An admission of fault by the other driver
- An accident report that places blame on the other driver
- Unbiased witnesses who identify the other driver as being at-fault
If you don’t have clear evidence or, worse yet, the other driver blames you for the crash, it will be wise to work with a lawyer. And again, proving liability is one thing, but receiving adequate compensation is another. With a lawyer to represent you, the other side won’t be able to take advantage of you – for instance, minimizing the value of your claim.
Have Clear Proof of Your Losses
When you have relatively small losses and solid documentation, you can often resolve your claim without a lawyer. Thus, you might not need representation if you only suffered property damage and have repair bills to prove its value.
Conversely, you might need a lawyer if your losses include:
- Future medical expenses for surgery or therapy you haven’t yet received
- Income losses from missed work
- Diminished earning capacity due to temporary or permanent disability
You might need to present evidence and legal arguments to receive compensation for these losses.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Atlanta Car Crash Lawyers
Some minor car accidents might not require hiring a lawyer. But you don’t have anything to lose by reaching out to one for a free consultation, and you could walk away with a much larger settlement at the conclusion of your case. Contact Hasner Law PC at 678-888-4878 to schedule a free case review with an experienced Atlanta car accident attorney.
