Whether you have a quick settlement offer in front of you or nothing at all– should you try to handle your Los Angeles car accident claim on your own? While the idea may be tempting, here’s the very simple test to get straight to the answer:

1. There was only damage to your car, no injuries- you can probably do this all on your own
2. There was damage to your car and injuries you are dealing with- Don’t try to handle this on your own! Get in touch with a Los Angeles car accident lawyer today.

Why does it matter when there are injuries involved? Because when you are just dealing with your car, insurance companies are a lot more straightforward and easier to navigate– your car is taken into a shop, evaluated assessed and it is normally a somewhat smooth and relatively fast process. But when major or minor injuries are involved that you want to get money for, it is like they put their boxing gloves on and your car insurance company can be just as bad as the other side! Why? Because when it comes to injuries following a car accident there can be a lot of money at stake and these car insurance companies are big penny pinchers.

Even after hiring a lawyer and paying their fees at the end (since most of them take on your Los Angeles car accident on a contingency fee basis) you will still get more money for your case than if you try to handle it on your own because an attorney has the time and experience to take things on and make arguments that you may not know are possible. When there’s really clear liability and obviously documented injuries you may receive and be tempted by a quick settlement offer– this is when you really want to at least take advantage of our free consultation because this settlement offer shows that the other side knows you have a strong case and they are trying to offer you something low before you get the assistance of counsel. Think of a quick settlement offer from the opposing side as them showing you all their cards and know that you should not take it as they are not offering you nearly enough.

Another instance in which you do not want to hire your car accident claim on your own is when you have injuries but the liability (the % of fault attributed to each drier in the accident) is at dispute. California is a comparative negligence state which means that each party should pay what they are responsible for and while this setup is great for making sure that you can get money even if you played a role in your Los Angeles car accident, it can get both sides tied up in arguing down their own liability. These arguments are complicated and the opposing side will take advantage of your lack of legal representation so don’t let that happen. Hiring a top Los Angeles personal injury lawyer takes this worry off your plate so you can focus on your recovery and it also shows the other side that you are serious about getting paid. Whether it is fair or not, insurance companies are much more willing to work with lawyers than they are with individuals and quicker to increase their offer amounts.

The bottom line is this– hiring a Los Angeles car accident lawyer is cheaper and easier than you think so do not make the mistake of thinking you will save money by trying to do your car accident on your own. 99% of the time you won’t. At Walch Law, we are here to get you the most money possible as quickly as we can but you have to give us a call to get started so don’t hesitate.