Should I Get an Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyer After a Car Accident?

April 23, 2024

Car accidents are an hourly occurrence in Indianapolis. If you have been hurt in one of these unfortunate events, it is only natural to wonder “Should I get an Indianapolis personal injury lawyer after a car accident?” Join us as we discuss how a personal injury attorney can benefit your Indianapolis car accident case.

Car Accidents Inflict Devastating Injuries

Car accidents in the greater Indianapolis area claimed 148 lives in 2021 alone, but even non-fatal crashes can inflict devastating injuries.

Depending on the severity of an Indianapolis car accident, victims could be forced to cope with:

· Back and neck trauma

· Brain and spinal damage

· Broken bones

· Scarring

· Burns

· Loss of limbs

· Paralysis

· Psychological impairment and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

· Coma

· Death

The financial impact of these injuries can be staggering. The National Safety Council estimates that the average cost of an “evident” motor vehicle injury in 2021 was $40,000.00, while “disabling” injuries could run as much as $155,000.00 and deaths up to $1,778,000.00. Given that fewer than half of all Americans are able to raise $1,000.00 for an unexpected emergency, it is unlikely that most Indiana families could cover the economic blow of a significant car accident injury without assistance.

Representation Can Increase Your Compensation

That assistance may come in the form of a personal injury case against the parties responsible for your Indianapolis car accident, but full compensation for your losses is never guaranteed, particularly if you are dealing with an obstinate insurance company looking to minimize its fiscal exposure.

This may be your first serious car accident, but it will not be first for the liability insurance adjuster assigned to your claim, who will probably have worked on dozens of prior collision cases or more, some of which may have been very similar to yours. The adjuster could exploit your relative inexperience to offer you pennies on the dollar to settle your claim or even deny it altogether, leaving you to satisfy the new demands on your wallet entirely by yourself.

Clearly, car accident plaintiffs who handle their own cases are at a major disadvantage, but they can gain the upper hand over the insurance company by retaining skilled legal representation, such as the Indianapolis personal injury lawyers at Hensley Legal Group. And that is not just an unfounded opinion – it is a statistical fact. According to the Insurance Research Council, personal injury plaintiffs who retain attorneys manage to secure verdicts or settlements that are 3.5 times higher than the verdicts or settlements secured by plaintiffs who represent themselves, and another study found that 85 percent of the funds paid out by insurance companies go to claimants with lawyers.

The difference is so stark because of what a personal injury attorney can bring to the table. Just like the insurance adjuster, your lawyer will have had years of training and possibly decades of experience negotiating car accident cases. He or she will know what your case is worth and will strive to meet or surpass that number while also countering the textbook insurance industry tricks and tactics that doom so many rookie plaintiffs.

And though most car accident cases are settled outside of the courtroom, sometimes a trial may be necessary, at which point a personal injury attorney will be indispensable. Plaintiffs with representation win at trial more often than not, but plaintiffs without lawyers lose about 96 percent of the time.

What Will It Cost to Hire an Indianapolis Personal Injury Attorney?

We realize that you may be reluctant to commit to spending even more money after your car accident has used up so much of it already. However, most personal injury lawyers, including the accomplished Indianapolis personal injury attorneys at Hensley Legal Group, work on a contingency basis. This means that you will not have to pay them anything up front, and they may even cover the initial fees for your case.

Only when your claim is resolved will a law firm seek reimbursement for its expenses and payment for its services, typically as a percentage of your final compensation package. And in light of how much larger that compensation can be with a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer in your corner, the value added should far outweigh the cost incurred.

Our Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers Will Be Here for You

Hensley Legal Group has been standing up for the everyday people of Indiana for more than 25 years. If you have been injured in a car accident through no fault of your own, our Indianapolis personal injury lawyers will be here for you.

You can call or text us at (317) 472-3333, chat with us online, or fill out our contact form to schedule a free consultation with a dedicated Indianapolis personal injury attorney today.