by: Jody Ehrhardt
If you have been in an accident, whether at work, in an automobile or under some other circumstances, you may be wondering if you need to seek the advice and counsel of an attorney. On one hand there are the advertisements by lawyers on television that insist that you need their help to protect your rights. On the other hand, the insurance company that is handling your claim may insist that they are doing everything necessary for your interest and health. Who should you believe?
In most cases it is advisable to seek the counsel of an attorney. Even if you do not end up hiring him or her to represent you, it is a good idea to at least consult with them to make sure that you understand all of the legal repercussions of your injury. Many times, certain laws or rights maybe unknown to you, or worse, the insurance company may not willingly inform you of all of your rights.
In order to get what you deserve and need from any accident settlement, it is important to follow a few standard guidelines. First, as soon as possible after the accident, even if you think it might have been your fault, you need to at least seek an initial consultation with an attorney. Although you may feel as though you cannot afford legal help, it can be more costly to ignore your case or try to process it alone. Through an initial consultation a lawyer can help you determine whether you even have a case, who is at fault if you do, what actions can be taken and advise you about any time limits you face before your case would be invalid. It is also a good idea to speak with a lawyer before speaking to anyone else about the case. This includes any one at your place of employment, the other party's insurance companies and their lawyers.
By deciding not to retain a lawyer, you could also be losing out on money that you will need in the future. For example, if the other party's insurance company states that they will pay your medical bills, you may feel as though that is fair. But what happens if any of the symptoms come back after your initial treatment? Since you have already settled with the insurance they are not likely to come back and pick up the tab for further medical or hospital bills. Another disadvantage to settling with an insurance company without first speaking to a lawyer is that in some cases you may not notice or feel the consequences of your injuries until months after the accident. In these cases, lawyers are experienced enough to know what the long-term effects of certain injuries can be and they can help to protect you from future financial problems due to medical issues or setbacks.
In the case of an automobile accident, it is always a good idea to retain the services of an attorney, even if you where the only party injured in the accident or if you feel that the accident was definitely your fault. Many times what victims of an accident say at the time of the incident will change once they have had a chance to talk their attorney, insurance company or even friends. In order to protect yourself from further fault, you should hire an attorney to defend you against any false claims.
In the case of a work related accident you should always seek legal advice. Most workmen's compensation cases are very complex and the outcome of any trial could greatly affect your future workload and financial security.
Any other type of accident that does not fall under these guidelines should also be taken to a lawyer, at least for an initial review. Only an attorney can tell you for sure if legal representation is necessary in your case.
About The Author
Jody Ehrhardt write for http://www.lawyervista.com, a website where you can find a lawyer in your city or state, including http://www.lawyervista.com/14-boat_accident_lawyers.html Boat accident lawyers and http://www.lawyervista.com/12-city-CA-los_angeles-auto_accident_lawyers.html Los angeles auto accident lawyers
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DIY Plumbing Repairs - You Have Homeowners Insurance, Use It!
DIY Plumbing Repairs - You Have Homeowners Insurance, Use It!
by: Ray Breitenbach
Since most home owners insurance policies don't cover the cost of repairs few people think to check with them when plumbing problems
occur. Although they may not cover the repair, they will usually cover the value of damaged property including cleaning up after the repair. The scope of this type of project is typically not a diy plumbing repair project so you will want to find any way you can to help pay for it.
A few years ago I had the misfortune of finding water seeping through a wall in my basement one spring. First this was blamed on a very wet season. Next, when dry weather came around and the leak was still there a basement waterproofing contractor was called in. It was no suprise when this contractor informed me that I had ground water and needed their expensive services. Since the company had a vested interest in me believing this they did not...
DIY Plumbing Repairs - You Have Homeowners Insurance, Use It!
Insurance > DIY Plumbing Repairs - You Have Homeowners Insurance, Use It!
Insurance Providers Weather The Storm While Consumers? Claims Flounder
Insurance Providers Weather The Storm While Consumers? Claims Flounder
by: Richard Green
We have just had the first year?s anniversary of the flash flooding which occurred at Boscastle in Cornwall.
The floods saw some of the worst damage wrought by sudden rainfall in the UK for many years.
The flood was caused by the remains of a hurricane which crossed the Atlantic, collecting vast amounts of water crossing, and was then pushed high above an area inland of the village depositing around 1,500m litres (330m gallons) of water within two hours.
At the time insurance companies were estimating the bill for commercial damage to local businesses, would be as high as ?15m.
There is perhaps some comfort for insurers in that it could have been worse. Hurricane Charley, which hit Florida around the same time, cost over an estimated ?6bn.
In August this year, just a week after Birmingham was battered by a tornado, residents...
Insurance Providers Weather The Storm While Consumers? Claims Flounder
Insurance > Insurance Providers Weather The Storm While Consumers? Claims Flounder
The Top 8 Ways to Save a Ton of Money on Your Auto Insurance
The Top 8 Ways to Save a Ton of Money on Your Auto Insurance
by: Matthew Keith
We all hate doing it, but it's something that we all must do at one time or another... the wonderful task of shopping for car insurance quotes!
Since there's no avoiding it, you might as well learn a few ways you can save money in the process. Here is a compilation of the top tips you can use to make sure you never overpay for your car insurance premiums...
1. Search for quotes regularly - Many people inadvertantly pay the same premium for years without ever shopping around. As your vehicle ages, it depreciates in value. You shouldn't pay the same premium on an older vehicle as you would on a newer one... think about it! It's generally good practice to do a quote search on a yearly basis, but the more often you do it, the better chances you have of getting lower rates.
2. If you have an older vehicle, consider "liability only" insurance - When making...
The Top 8 Ways to Save a Ton of Money on Your Auto Insurance
Insurance > The Top 8 Ways to Save a Ton of Money on Your Auto Insurance
Where To Find Cheap Health Insurance
Where To Find Cheap Health Insurance
by: Bob Hett
Health insurance costs are rising all the time. Many people feel they cannot afford health insurance. Others feel that they don?t need it because they are healthy and have never had any major medical problems. This is definitely faulty thinking on their part. As a matter of fact, you do need health insurance, and there are a lot of ways to get affordable health insurance for yourself or your family. Health insurance is protection against the possible health problems that could happen in the future, and you have absolutely no way of knowing what those might be.
For people who are low income, every state has a Medicaid program that they could possible qualify for. The requirements vary form state to state, but all it takes is a trip to your local Division of Family Services office to get an application. You might be surprised at the number of people who would actually qualify for this service that...
Where To Find Cheap Health Insurance
Insurance > Where To Find Cheap Health Insurance
Life Assurance
Life Assurance
by: Gary Tallon
Planning for your future life can seem like a time consuming burden when you have a young family. After all, where do you find the time in your life to think about things like life assurance while you're struggling to keep work and home life pressures in check? Our departure from this life though cannot be predicted. You and your partner may live a good life to a ripe old age, or you could pass away tomorrow. If the worst were to happen to you, where would that leave your partner and your dependants? Would they be financially secure for the rest of their life after their loss and not have to worry about paying the mortgage? If not, then a life assurance policy is a must.
Life assurance for life and death
Life assurance, also known as life insurance, is an assurance policy that pays out a lump sum to a named person(s) in the event of your death. This type of assurance policy is inexpensive to maintain, assurance...
Life Assurance
Insurance > Life Assurance
Life Insurance
Life Insurance
by: Gary Tallon
The life insurance market in the UK is extremely competitive. Over the last 5 - 10 years more and more insurance companies have been entering the life insurance market providing consumers with a huge range of life insurance products to go after. Even the big supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda now offer cheap life insurance products, often using their own brand goods as advertising space to get their message across to their legions of customers.
Such is the level of competition, a basic term life insurance policy can now cost as little as ?5 per month for a young and healthy non-smoker. Life insurance costs though will vary significantly depending upon age, lifestyle and occupation. They will also vary between different life insurance providers, as not all providers evaluate the risk of the life to be insured in the same way.
Shopping around for life insurance
The best way to get good value...
Life Insurance
Insurance > Life Insurance
5 Considerations To Computing Your Car Insurance Premiums
5 Considerations To Computing Your Car Insurance Premiums
by: Justin Koh
Have you ever wonder why car insurance costs vary from one car insurance company to the other? This is due to the different type of computation factors that car insurance companies use to derive the car insurance cost. Based on the answers that you replied to the car insurance company, they will add or discount the cost before arriving at a final price for your car insurance. Thus, it is important for you to shop around first before you commit yourself to a particular car insurance company as different companies take a different view of the various high risk factors. We will look at some of the factors that car insurance companies take into considerations.
1. Having a clean driving record.
Without a doubt, car insurance cost would increase if you have been convicted of a driving conviction. Thus, it pays to be a safe driver so that unnecessary costs won't be incurred.
2. Adding...
5 Considerations To Computing Your Car Insurance Premiums
Insurance > 5 Considerations To Computing Your Car Insurance Premiums
Life Insurance vs Life Assurance
Life Insurance vs Life Assurance
by: Joseph Kenny
People spend a lot of money on complicated financial products and it is sometimes difficult to keep track of what products perform what tasks. Many people are not aware of all the financial products that are available or they only know of them vaguely. They may not know how much they cost or the potential benefits they offer. How can consumers make informed decisions on what products they would be willing to buy if they do not have this basic information? This problem can often lead to consumers buying unsuitable of overpriced products simply because they feel they should have some financial protections available but don?t have the details to make an informed choice.
One of the common questions many consumers have is regarding the difference between insurance policies and assurance policies. Put simply, insurance policies cover the costs of an event that might happen while assurance policies...
Life Insurance vs Life Assurance
Insurance > Life Insurance vs Life Assurance
Insurance
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