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This guide will discuss what it will take to have a Hempstead car accident attorney at your side, primarily when you contend with injuries, lost wages, and other situations connected to the aftermath. Once you have gone through this guide, you can decide that pursuing legal options is possible. Let’s discuss what you need to know before making a vital decision.
Importance of Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer
In the event of a car accident, you must consider hiring a lawyer who specializes in such situations. This is because they will serve as your advocate and help you through the complex legal landscape while protecting your rights. In some situations, compensation will be needed to cover any expenses related to the accident, such as auto repairs or medical expenses. In addition, insurance companies are all about the bottom line and place their policyholders at the bottom of their list of priorities.
In other words, they will do their part to ensure you get minimal compensation, especially when it’s not enough to cover the expenses. For this reason, you need a car accident lawyer from Duffy and Duffy to ensure you get the fair compensation you deserve.
Understanding Personal Injury Laws in Hempstead
Personal injury laws in New York were created to protect the victims in the event of vehicle accidents as well as other accidental situations that resulted in injury. It is also paramount when it comes to providing a legal framework for those seeking compensation for such expenses related to personal injury stemming from an accident. The laws will cover many damages, including medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost income from missed work. You must ensure that you work with a qualified personal injury attorney to get the compensation you need to cover your medical expenses, especially when recovering.
Please note that in the state of New York, the statute of limitations for filing a personal injury claim is three years from the day of the accident. This will give you enough time to act accordingly and consult with a legal professional to ensure pursuing possible lawsuits is feasible. If you fail to file within three years, you will likely lose your right to pursue legal action.
Therefore, it is a race against the clock when pursuing legal options for the car accident. It will also put you at a financial disadvantage as you are trying to contend with the expenses resulting from the accident. There are different compensation categories including medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Duffy and Duffy will ensure that you are compensated fairly and accordingly so you will not have to deal with the pain and suffering of your insurance company and the insurer of the party at fault.
What steps should I take after a car accident in Hempstead?
After a car accident in Hempstead, it is vital to ensure that you take the necessary action. Again, it will be a race against the clock, especially when it comes to taking the actions that we highly recommend like these:
Take immediate action: It’s important to take immediate action as soon as an accident occurs. The first thing you need to do is make sure that you and your passengers are okay. If possible, move to a safe location and check for injuries soon after. It is also important that you call 911 as soon as possible to report the accident and request medical assistance if needed.
Collecting evidence: Next, it is critical to document the accident scene. To do this, you must take photographs of the vehicle, any visible injuries, and the road conditions. It is also important to exchange contact information and insurance information with the other party. If necessary, you must also gather contact details from witnesses who may be nearby from the accident site.
Get a medical examination: Even if there may be apparent injuries, it doesn’t mean you should forgo a medical exam. Some injuries may manifest hours or even days after the accident itself. A doctor must examine you as soon as possible to ensure that no injuries have occurred. Aside from this, it will also give you documentation you may need should you pursue legal action in the aftermath of the accident.
Contacting an accident lawyer: Once you have collected evidence, you want to contact an experienced accident lawyer, such as those at Duffy and Duffy. Having them at your side will be crucial for getting an advocate and someone who can navigate the legal complexities of a vehicle accident. At the same time, they will also do their part to ensure you get the necessary compensation from your insurance company so all expenses are covered when and where required.
Finding the Right Car Accident Lawyer in Hempstead
If you believe that pursuing legal action after a car accident in Hempstead is possible, that’s when you need to start looking for the right lawyer. How can you find one that would be the best fit for you? You must consider the following so you can be able to make a more informed choice:
Research and referrals: To begin with, it is important to make sure that you find a lawyer with various referrals, especially from past clients. Look for those who specialize in personal injury car accident cases and look at the reviews and testimonials. If there appear to be more positive testimonials than negative ones, this can be a good sign.
Evaluating expertise: As you choose an accident attorney, you want to ensure that their track record expertise is in good standing. An attorney with specific experience in car accidents or personal injury cases will better understand the legal obstacles and be better prepared to handle your case. Compare that to an attorney who advertises themselves as a general practitioner lawyer. The more specialized an attorney is, the better.
What is their fee structure? It is important to note that financial situations can cause concern when pursuing legal avenues. At Duffy and Duffy, we ensure that you only pay after you have secured fair and just compensation. In other words, we operate on a contingency fee basis. We will not ask for any upfront payments and will ensure you have a strong case regardless of your financial situation. We will not deny anybody due to their financial situation. That is why we offer a free consultation to ensure you have a solid case in your car accident situation.
Meeting them in person: The in-person consultation will give you an idea of how they handle your case. Are they professional? Are they effective communicators? Are they the law firm that will care about your best interest and ensure your case is successful? If yes to these questions, you have found a car accident lawyer in Hempstead who will do the job for you.
Determining Liability for the Car Accident
It is crucial to ensure liability for a car accident is determined before you decide to take legal action. You want to take the necessary steps while at the same time not making any statements that may inadvertently put you at fault, even if you haven’t been at all in the first place. Fault is established based on the circumstances of the accident, the evidence collected from the scene, and the traffic laws.
It is also important to ensure that evidence like photographs, police reports, and witness statements are included since they each play a critical role. Witnesses can provide their own unbiased account of what happened during the accident. This will ensure clarity when it comes to how the incident occurred and who was actually at fault.
How do you prove fault in a car accident in Hempstead?
So, what will it take to prove fault in a car accident? It is essential to take a look at some of the following critical pieces of evidence to know this, and they are:
Police report: A police report is critical evidence for who is at fault. It will contain information such as what the officer observed, what they found, and what they gathered during their investigation. This report will be crucial to supporting your claim and getting the compensation you need.
Witness testimonies: Witness testimonies are another critical piece of evidence. They will not only corroborate your version of what has happened but also ensure additional perspectives on how the incident occurred. The statements can help assemble a sequence of events leading to the accident.
Accident reconstruction: Accident reconstructionists are professionals when it comes to recreating the scenario. At the same time, they utilize physical evidence and scientific principles to help determine how the accident occurred and prove who could be at fault. The evidence they have gathered from their investigation can help your case in conjunction with other pieces, such as police reports and testimonies from witnesses.
Filing a Lawsuit if Necessary
When considering litigation, there may be a time and place when it needs to go forward. There may be situations when the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement or even denies your entire claim.
It can also be considered if significant disputes over damages or liability exist. That is why it is essential to consult with a car accident attorney as soon as possible to get the compensation you need and peace of mind knowing that the case has been resolved.
Again, ensuring you go to Duffy and Duffy for your consultation is vital. This is because we want to make sure that your case is strong enough for us to back you in order to get the compensation you need. You have to deal with the expenses from the aftermath; the last thing you want to deal with is the pain and suffering of going through it. Once you have secured compensation, we’ll take care of payments while you cover as much of the expenses as possible from what is left over.
Final Thoughts
If you believe you have been injured in a car accident in Hempstead, New York, it is crucial to make sure that you take the necessary steps that we have provided above. In addition, please get the legal representation you deserve to ensure that your accident case does not go unnoticed and be at the mercy of the insurance companies’ unethical tactics.
Do you believe that you have a case for your car accident? If so, call the law office of Duffy and Duffy today at 516-394-4200. Our office is in Uniondale, New York, at 1370 RXR Plaza.
