Taylor Hale | September 19, 2023 | Car Accidents
Should I Hire a Lawyer After a Minor Car Accident in Lake Charles?

Should you hire a lawyer after a minor car accident in Lake Charles? You might think the answer to this question is an unequivocal “no.” But what, exactly, is ‘minor’? And how do you know whether a car accident is minor? Under certain circumstances, you should at least talk to a lawyer to find out whether or not you need one.
Due to personal injury lawyers’ contingency fee structure, they only make money if you do. This leaves them with no economic incentive to exaggerate the viability or value of your claim.
Red Flags Indicating You Probably Need a Lawyer
The first precondition for hiring a lawyer should be that your claim is worth enough (in dollars) to justify hiring one. That being said, you might need a free initial consultation with a lawyer to even know whether your claim is worth fighting for.
Once you know your claim is worth something, the following red flags indicate you might want to consider hiring a lawyer.
You Suffered a Significant Injury
In many cases, such as soft tissue injury (whiplash, for example) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), symptoms don’t even show up for hours or even days after the accident. If you suffered any impact at all, seek medical attention immediately after an accident, even if you don’t think you were injured.
Liability Is in Dispute
Hopefully, you didn’t apologize after the accident ‘just to be polite.’ The reason is that you can be sure the other side will use your etiquette against you. You will need a lawyer if liability is in dispute for any other reason as well. The mere fact of a dispute will complicate your case enough to necessitate the use of a lawyer.
The Police Report Is Wrong
The police typically issue a police report after a car accident. They are especially important after truck accidents and DUI accidents because of the likelihood of catastrophic injury. Police reports are generally inadmissible in court. Instead, you must call the police officer who wrote the report as a witness.
A police report that wrongly blames you for the accident, however, can hurt you in settlement negotiations—and the officer’s testimony can hurt you in court. Get a lawyer.
It is often possible to overcome the effects of a mistaken police report–but you’re going to need some help from a lawyer.
You Have a Pre-Existing Medical Condition
You might have a pre-existing medical condition from a previous accident. If you suffered a back injury in your most recent accident, for example, the insurance company might investigate and find out about your old back injury.
They will then claim that your current back injury was actually caused by your long-ago accident, not your recent crash. The claim would assert that you are just using this accident as an excuse to cash in on an old injury. Yes, you’ll need a lawyer.
Uninsured or Underinsured Motorist Claims
If the at-fault motorist doesn’t carry enough insurance to cover your claim, you’re going to need to find another source of funds. A good lawyer might be able to help you find one.
You Are Claiming Non-Economic Damages
You might have suffered a painful injury, such as whiplash, or other intangible loss. It is difficult to place a concrete value on intangible losses. How much is your pain and suffering worth? This is where a persuasive personal injury lawyer can come in handy.
You Are From Out of State
Louisiana certainly gets its share of tourists. If you suffer an accident here, you must file a Lake Charles car accident claim in Louisiana, not in the jurisdiction where you live. Louisiana law is a bit unique compared to other states because of the influence of the Napoleonic Code. You will need a lawyer qualified to practice in Louisiana to help you reach a settlement of (in a worst-case scenario) a trial verdict.
Just About Any Car Accident Lawyer Will Offer You a Free Initial Consultation
Car accident lawyers use initial consultations to screen their clients. It’s how they find profitable cases. For this reason, if your claim sounds even remotely likely to be lucrative, you probably won’t have any trouble finding an experienced car accident lawyer to discuss it with you for free. Take advantage of this opportunity.
Contact an experienced car accident attorney at Hale Injury Lawyers today at (337) 888-4253 & schedule a free initial consultation today.
Hale Injury Lawyers
1735 Ryan St
Lake Charles, LA 70601
(337) 888-4253