If you’ve been in a car accident, trying to navigate all the paperwork, legal obligations, medical appointments and documents, and car-related tasks can be extremely overwhelming. It’s even worse trying to navigate all of those things if you’re dealing with serious injuries. The silver lining to all of this is that an experienced accident attorney could take a lot of this off your plate and get you the compensation you deserve.

Not all accidents qualify for an attorney. So how do you decided if it’s in your best interest to hire one? Here are a few signs to help you figure that out.

1. You’re at fault for an accident, especially one with injuries.

It can be scary knowing that you’re at fault for an accident. If the accident has injuries, you can be sure that the other party will be coming after you. It’s wise to hire an accident attorney to help you in this situation.

2. You have injuries serious enough to need medical attention.

Any time you have serious injuries, you should hire an accident attorney. The attorney will ensure that you get the medical treatment you need and help to ease medical costs. The accident attorney will handle everything else concerning your accident while you take the time you need to heal.

3. You’ve been in an accident with someone from a large corporation/business.

Corporations have a slew of lawyers at their disposal. Your chances of winning a case against them without one is slim to none. Even if their employee is at fault, their lawyers and insurance companies will do everything possible to pay you as little as possible. Don’t take the chance – hire an accident attorney.

4. You have to deal with insurance adjusters.

Don’t trust insurance adjusters. Their job is to pay you as little as possible. They may seem nice and concerned about you, but they may mislead you into saying something that could go against you or your case. They’re good at their job, so don’t think you can outsmart them. Hire an accident attorney to make sure they can’t take advantage of you.

5. You’re a ride share driver and have been in an accident with a passenger in the car.

Ride share driving is still one of the newer careers out there and car accidents can be confusing to navigate while doing this job. Ride share companies offer insurance while the driver is working, but you’ll still eventually have to deal with an adjuster (see the above tip). Another thing to consider is that their insurance is geared more towards the passenger(s) of the ride. While the ride share companies may be on your side, at the end of the day you’re still dealing with an insurance company, so save yourself some trouble and hire an accident attorney.

To sum it all up…

In a perfect world, everyone would do their jobs fairly and give victims the compensation they deserve without making the victims jump through hoops. Unfortunately, this world is far from perfect. If it involves money, don’t take the risk of having no one on your side. Even if you’re at fault, you still deserve to have someone in your corner. Hire an experienced accident attorney as soon as possible after your accident to ensure that the situation is handled fairly and properly. You’ll be glad you did.

By Manali