Being involved in a car accident doesn’t just mean dealing with injuries and property damage losses, but also weeks, months, or more of paperwork, medical treatment, financial stress, and claim-related tasks.

For the average person – and especially one who has suffered serious injuries in a crash – this can be overwhelming. At Brooks Law, our Medford car accident lawyers are here to provide you with the counsel and support that you need if you have been in a crash that wasn’t your fault.

With years of experience behind our name, we are Medford car accident lawyers you can trust. Contact us now for a free claim review and advice about your best legal options.

If you are injured in a crash, having an advocate on your side who can explain the various laws regarding fault in our state and help you navigate the system of recovering compensation can be extremely helpful. Working with an attorney can even increase the amount of money that you receive from the insurance company.

Our lawyers are ready to help you by:

• Explaining Massachusetts no-fault law. Massachusetts is a no-fault state, which means that after an accident, each driver must turn to their own insurance company for compensation regardless of who caused the accident. However, there is an exception to this. In the event that someone suffers an injury that is “serious”—defined as one that results in medical bills in excess of $2,000 or loss of sight, hearing, limb or body part, or permanent and serious disfigurement – an injured person may bring a claim against the at-fault driver and seek compensation for pain and suffering damages, too.
• Determining and proving fault. If your injuries and damages following a crash are very minor, determining and proving fault won’t really be necessary. You’ll pursue your claim through your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage. However, if you are filing a claim against the other driver and the other driver’s insurer, proving fault is absolutely essential. Our lawyers can investigate your case, gather evidence, and determine liability for the accident.
• Negotiating for a settlement. Once fault has been determined and your damages have been calculated, an insurance adjuster may offer you a settlement. By accepting the settlement, you are releasing the insurance company from any further liability. Before you do this, we can review the offer and advise you about whether you are being fairly compensated for the extent of harm you’ve suffered. If not, we can go back to the negotiating table and seek a better offer. If the insurance company won’t budge, we’ll be prepared to stand up for you in court.

In a car accident claim that involves serious injuries, a claimant has the right to seek compensation for the full extent of damages that they have suffered. This includes compensation for the value of:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Reduced earning capacity
• Property damage expenses
• Other economic losses related to the injury
• Noneconomic losses, such as pain, suffering, and the value of emotional distress

It can be difficult to think about filing legal action in the days and weeks following a car accident, especially if you have been seriously injured. However, we strongly recommend calling our Medford car crash lawyers as soon as possible.

Our attorneys can get the ball rolling on your case while you focus on your recovery. This is important for multiple reasons, including the fact that the longer you wait to take action, the greater the chance that evidence relevant to your claim will be lost or destroyed, the longer you will have to wait to receive your settlement offer and the closer that you become to breaching the state’s statute of limitations.

In Massachusetts, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the accident. If you don’t bring your claim before the three-year deadline, you will be unable to seek damages at all in the future.

If you’ve been in a car accident, knowing the proper steps to take to preserve your right to recovery is important. Things that you need to do following a car accident include:

• Seek medical care. You need to seek medical care as soon as possible after an accident. Do not hesitate to accept emergency treatment and ambulance transport if that’s what you need. You should keep thorough documentation of this care and follow your doctor’s orders.
• Report your accident. Filing a police report serves as a valuable type of evidence proving that your crash happened and may provide evidence about causation. What’s more, filing a police report is also required in Massachusetts car accidents that result in any injuries or property damage over $1,000.
• Collect evidence. After a crash, you and the other driver may be the only ones at the scene, which means that you should collect as much evidence as you can before it’s destroyed. Photos of vehicles’ positions, skid marks, damage (both interior and exterior), injuries, stop signs or other traffic signs and lights, weather and lighting conditions, and more should all be photographed. You should also get the names and contact information of any witnesses to the accident, as well as the other driver.

The most important thing that you should know about dealing with insurance companies is that an insurance adjuster assigned to your claim is not focused on getting you the maximum recovery award. They are focused on finding ways to devalue your claim in order to save the insurance company money.

Anything you say could be used against you. The insurance adjuster may travel to your home or place of work (or hire a detective to do so) to gather evidence in an attempt to disprove the extent of injuries you’ve suffered, and will likely not offer you what you deserve, especially in an initial settlement offer. Exercise caution when communicating with an insurance company, and talk to your lawyer before signing anything.

Working with a Hingham car accident lawyer after a crash can improve your chances of recovering the compensation that you deserve and can offer peace of mind in the weeks and months following a serious car accident.

Our team at Brooks Law is ready to serve you in Hingham. To schedule your free consultation, just call our law office today or send us a message online.