Accident Attorney

Many people make the mistake that because the person that caused the accident has insurance, they do not need to have an attorney.  They often assume that because the other party was obviously at fault, that the insurance company will be completely fair in paying them a just amount for their injuries and damages. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Insurance companies have an interest in paying as little as possible to those who have potential claims against their insureds.  They will often look at people who are not represented as people they can (and, very often, do) take advantage of by not paying them the full value of what they might otherwise pay to people who are represented by counsel who are in a better position to know and evaluate the value of personal injury claims.

Evaluating Auto Accidents and Other Injury Claims

Several factors enter in to the evaluation of auto accident or personal injury case. These are often items that most people would not consider important or connected to an accident claim. Auto accident victims or others who have been injured through the negligence of others, who have an experienced attorney on his or her side, are in a much better position to be fairly compensated for his or her injuries.

Among the factors to be considered are liability or fault, documentation of injuries, other monetary or special damages, and insurance coverages avaiable to compensate or pay expenses on behalf of accident victims.  Since Idaho is a comparative fault state, it is important to look for any facts that may be used to allege or infer fault on the party of the injury victim.  A person who is not represented may be asked by the insurance company to give a recorded statement without the benefit of reviewing the facts beforehand.  These statements can often produce misstatements or inaccuracies that later can be used to claim contributory negligence or even to defeat a claim entirely. 

Medical records and billing are essential to evaluating injury claims.  Some injured parties may have extensive medical histories that will make it challenging to sort out what might or might not be accident related.  Proper study and evaluation of medical records is necessary to obtaining a fair settlement.  Lost earnings and other out of pocket expenses including prescriptions are also necessary to properly evaluate injury claims.  Finally, there is no substitute for the knowledge and experience of someone who has evaluated and settled thousands of claims to be able to know what a fair and reasonable settlement amount would be.  A person who is not represented by an attorney is at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to settling a personal injury claim.