Car accidents can not only be potentially fatal, or permanently disabling, but they are also alarmingly frequent. In fact, almost 2.35 million people are seriously injured, or permanently disabled, in road accidents each year.

In short, the aftermath of an accident can be devastating for you, both in the short and long term.

Not only are you injured and in pain, but you now have the added stress of planning for a future affected by the accident.

There are medical bills that keep piling, a surgery you had not anticipated, rehabilitation for physical fitness, and the cost of buying medication.

At this point, questions that might be bothering you include:

• Do I have enough paid medical leaves to cover a prolonged stay at the hospital, especially if I’ve had surgery?
• How do so many absences affect my job security?
• Will I even be able to continue at my old workspace, now that I have suffered severe injuries?
• How does my current physical state affect my ability to perform routine tasks?

In addition to the constant worry, here are some situations you might get caught up in after an accident. If you find yourself in a similar scenario, do not hesitate to consult a personal injury lawyer.

When Your Injuries Require Long-Term Medical Management/Care

Serious injuries due to an accident often persist in the long term and can prove to be fairly expensive. As a result of such an injury, you need:

• Emergency medical care
• Surgery
• Long term medication
• Physiotherapy
• Psychotherapy
• Rehabilitation, etc.

As per the CDC, the cost of medical care resulting from auto-mobile accidents was more than $99 billion in 2010 alone.

And with medical care being so expensive, an average salaried person has a hard time paying these bills. This is why over 40 million working-class US citizens have mounting medical debts.

If you find yourself in a situation where keeping up with your medical bills seems impossible, hire a personal injury lawyer. Attorneys can assess the realistic long term costs of your injury, and calculate the correct settlement amount for you.

When You’re Being Offered A Settlement Amount That Won’t Cover All Your Medical Bills

Consider this; you’ve just been in a crash, and somebody shows up offering to help you with your medical bills. Sounds like a blessing, right?

Well, it’s not.

It is very common for the at-fault party’s insurance company to contact you after an accident, and offer a supposedly generous amount of money for your losses. While they may seem to have a genuine concern for you, know that this is a red flag.

Remember: such companies are in the business of making a profit for themselves, and this ‘gesture of goodwill’ is nothing, but what is known as the ‘swoop and settle’ practice.

Insurance companies commonly reach out to a victim before they have assessed all the damage. This way, they can trick you into accepting an amount of money that won’t cover all your medical expenses – which are more than just the upfront bills.

Therefore, before agreeing to any sum, do the math. If you think you’re being cheated out of a fair reimbursement, consult an attorney.

A personal injury lawyer can help you secure 3.5x more money than the initial offer made by the at-fault party’s insurance agent.

When An Insurance Company Refuses To Pay

Insurance companies don’t want to lose money, so they will try to undermine your claim.

How can they do that?

The most commonly deployed tactics include:

Limiting or Denying Liability

The most common way insurance companies get out of paying a fair settlement, is by denying that their insured client was at fault. Or if they can’t outright deny the involvement, they will try to limit their liability by putting some of the blame on you.

This can scare a victim into thinking that a lawsuit might actually land you in trouble, and result in money going out, rather than coming in.

Trivializing Damages

They may discredit your injuries by arguing that they are not what you claim.

This is a practice used by insurance adjusters, where they trivialize the extent of the losses you’ve incurred by:

• Claiming you don’t have sufficient proof of damage
• Asking a medical professional to re-evaluate your injuries
• Going through your medical history to look for similar injuries, and make your new claim look less credible
• Monitor your day-to-day activities to show that you are physically competent

A personal injury lawyer will help you determine liability and build a case against the other party by gathering all the evidence you need.

When You Are No Longer Able To Earn The Income You Were Earning, Whether Temporarily Or Permanently

Recovering from a severe injury takes time – meaning that you will have to miss work. Simply put, this is not something that you cannot afford.

There are still your everyday expenses, the cost of running a household, bills, rent, etc. that you will need money for. How will you sustain a routine life, if you’re indisposed due to an accident?

You could potentially even lose your job if you take too many days off, or are physically incapable of working, as a result of your injury.

It is important that you include this financial loss when you are calculating your settlement amount. An attorney can help you provide proof of:

• Disability
• Loss of wages, and
• Long term financial consequences as a result of the injury

When The Accident Was Caused By A Defective Part

If your car accident was caused by a defective car part, then the manufacturer of the car, or the faulty part, is fully liable for the accident.

Filing a personal injury lawsuit against big organizations and manufacturers can yield a higher payout, but such cases are harder to file and prove without a lawyer.

A personal injury lawyer can help you put together evidence that:

• The part was negligently designed or manufactured,
• The victim was not apprised of the defect, and
• The part was in the car at the time of the accident

If you’re a victim of a car accident, then filing a personal injury claim can help you get financial reimbursement for your losses. A good practice is to hire an attorney as soon as you can; this will help minimize the chances of the at-fault party’s insurance provider cheating you out of your settlement.

Lawyers know exactly what documents to acquire, and where to get them to support your case. There are no upfront costs to hiring a personal injury lawyer; they only get paid once you win your case, so there’s no reason to hesitate before you give an attorney a call.