If you've recently been injured in a car accident or have sustained major damage to the fault of your vehicle, and you believe the fault lies with another party, one of the first important steps to take here is retaining legal counsel. A personal injury attorney will help you prove liability of another party in your accident, ensuring you get the proper compensation for your injuries, vehicle damage and any other issues.
At the offices of William Rawlings & Associates, we're happy to provide car accident, truck accident and other vehicle accident attorney services for clients in Salt Lake City and other parts of Utah, plus numerous other personal injury programs as well. When you're first giving us a call or sitting down with one of our attorneys for a consultation about your case, what are some of the key questions and concepts you should generally be asking about, or which our attorneys will go over with you? Here are some of the most notable.
Typically, one of the first major subjects that our attorneys will discuss with you for car accident cases is understanding what potential damages could be awarded to you as a result of the accident. Our attorneys will tell you all about which damages are allowed in Utah, and they can help you understand how to prove your damages when it comes time to enter court or negotiate a settlement.
For instance, if you've sustained physical injuries due to the accident, you may be able to get compensation for your medical bills, prescription costs, physical therapy, lost wages and more. On top of that, if there was any property damage due to the accident -- such as vehicle damage or other repairs -- then this could also factor into your damages claim.
Naturally, another important factor in a car accident case is figuring out who and what individuals are liable for the accident. In some cases, it might be perfectly clear -- such as if you were rear-ended while stopped at a red light.
In other instances, there may be multiple factors that contribute to liability or fault; this is why it's important to work with a skilled car accident attorney to help you assess who could be held responsible for the damages, and how much each individual should pay. Our attorneys can review police reports, witness accounts and other important documentation in order to come up with an accurate assessment of liability in your case.
While your attorney may not necessarily be able to provide you with a concrete answer to this question at the start, they should be able to provide you with a general assessment of your case and how it may go in court. At William Rawlings & Associates, we're not afraid to take cases to trial if necessary; our attorneys are skilled litigators who can put up a great fight for you, giving you the best chance of winning your case.
That said, many cases do not end up going to trial. In many situations, defendants realize that the evidence against them is simply too strong, and they may opt to settle out of court. Our attorneys can also help with negotiating these settlements, ensuring that you get the compensation you deserve.
Another key point to understand is the potential deadlines for filing a car accident lawsuit. In Utah, personal injury cases generally must be filed within two or three years of an incident in order to be eligible; if you miss this deadline, it may not be possible to get compensation for your damages.
Our attorneys can provide guidance throughout this process and ensure that all necessary deadlines are met.
During the course of your case, you may receive settlement offers from the defendant's insurance company. It's important to know how to handle and assess these offers -- and more importantly, which ones are worth considering.
Our attorneys can provide valuable advice on understanding insurance company language, assessing offers and whether or not they are fair for your situation. We'll also provide guidance on how to negotiate if the offers don't meet your expectations.
It's also important to discuss the potential attorney fees ahead of time. Most personal injury attorneys typically operate on a contingency fee basis, which means that you won't pay us anything unless we win your case and you receive compensation for your damages; any fees are taken from the settlement itself.
Our attorneys will provide full disclosure on this information before entering an agreement with our firm, so you can be sure you understand exactly what you're signing up for.
As you work toward finalizing a case and getting compensation, it's important to have specific points of contact between you, your attorney and the opposing party. This is necessary for discussing settlement details, making changes to offers or any other communication between all parties involved.
Our attorneys can help set up these points of contact in a way that works for everyone involved; this will ensure smooth communication throughout the process.
At William Rawlings & Associates, we understand how difficult and confusing it can be to navigate a personal injury case. That's why we're here to guide you every step of the way -- from proving liability to negotiating settlements and getting the compensation that you deserve. Contact us today for more information about our services for any SLC or nearby client, both in car accident cases and many other personal injury settings.