The first thing you should do is to seek treatment for any injuries that you may have sustained. As soon as you are healthy enough, you should contact an attorney. This is important because there is evidence that needs to be collected and analyzed as soon as possible. There may be evidence at the site that is important to prove that the other driver was at fault. Witnesses are also important to locate as close in time as possible. Additionally, you should know your rights at the earliest possible time because the other side will not wait in trying to collect information from you, and they will not be looking out for your interests when they do so.
No. You should not give a statement to an insurance adjuster without having an attorney present. The adjuster is trained in asking questions and in taking information that will minimize their exposure to liability. If possible, they will try to get a story from you that somehow makes you at fault, or somehow minimizes your damages. This statement will be admissible should the matter proceed to trial; and if you were not represented, it is possible that you will make statements that could be damaging at trial.
The adjuster is not being paid to look out for your interests. It is very important to know that. Their job is to evaluate your claim and try to get rid of the claim for the least amount of money possible. An Attorney is there to look out for your interests. An experienced one will be able to evaluate your claim and to show you what the settlement value is. He or she will be able to advise you about other issues in settling your case such as subrogation issues (Under Ohio law any doctors, insurance carriers or other parties who have spent money for you related to an accident may have an interest in obtaining proceeds from any settlement you receive, and an insurance adjuster will not work with you on reducing those). He or she will make sure that you are prepared to go to trial if you are not being offered a fair deal. Finally, he or she will also be able to assist you in finalizing your settlement and advising you about tax implications and other things that you need to know about.
On most personal injury cases we charge a contingency fee. This means that we are not paid a fee for our time and work until you recover something. If you do not get recovery, then we do not get paid for our time. What this also means is that it is in our interest to obtain the best recovery for you that we can, and that we will not try to quickly settle your case for less than it is worth.
We have attorneys who are experienced in every aspect of litigation, from intake to trials and even appeals. We will aggressively represent your interest from the moment that you enter our office and retain us. We offer candid advice so that you can make the decision that is best for you. If you look at our mission statement, you will see that we make it our goal to offer you the best legal services possible. Our lawyers and our staff have experience in making sure that you are well taken care of along each step of the process. It is important that you feel comfortable with your lawyer and the firm you choose because the process can be lengthy and it is not uncommon that you will experience a lot of mixed emotions. The process can be trying, and you need someone who will be there for you.
We will travel for appointments. It is important that the attorney have as much information about your case as possible before the appointment so that he or she can properly advise you at that appointment. Please call our office and schedule a time to talk with an attorney so that you will know what you can do to prepare and so the attorney also knows what to do to best prepare for the appointment.
We do offer a free initial consultation on these types of cases. We ask that you bring all your documents, records, pictures, or anything else that you have relating to the case at that time. Please call our office to schedule an appointment as soon as possible as it is important that you do not wait to get started. Your claim may be time sensitive, and it is extremely important to begin collecting evidence, witness statements and other things at an early stage.
