Auto Accident Lawyers - Why You Need Them

You never know when or where a car accident will happen, especially to you. And when they do occur, even without significant damages, deaths, or injury, there are far still ranging effects afterwards. Like the cost to repair your car, or any resulting loss of income (from the loss of property, or injury).

When involved in a car accident, there are a few things that you should know. Compensation is always the question in everyone's minds after an accident- be it compensation for damages, injury, or death. Now, for most of the time, damages are covered by insurance, but first, to determine how much the claimants are to be given, the company has to establish fault.

Then it is a question of who is more responsible for the accident. This directly affects how much the insurance will cover. It is assigned by a claims adjuster from the insurance company, who analyzes the situation, and based on this analysis, will assign a percent value -the "comparative fault"-- to each party according to how much of the accident they are responsible for. Certain states have regulated insurance by "pure comparative fault." With this system, your degree of responsibility is subtracted from your claim: being thirty percent responsible, for example, deducts thirty percent from your insurance claim.

The state of Texas uses "proportional comparative fault", in which claimants are entitled to the full amount of insurance as long as they weren't assigned a certain level of responsibility. Texas has set this level to 51 percent. If you were at fault for 51 percent or less, you get fully compensated. More than 51 percent, and you do not receive any compensation from your insurance company.

For you get as much compensation as you can, you should hire one of the San Antonio auto accident lawyers in the area. With a good auto accident attorney, you get someone who can assess the situation, and serve as your advocate when negotiating with the claims adjuster. If the case reaches court, your lawyer can represent you there, as well.

An auto accident attorney can help in a number of other ways. They can gather the evidence needed to plead your case (before a court or insurance company), like police and medical reports. An auto accident attorney in San Antonio can find and talk to potential witnesses, who can give statements to help you build your case. San Antonio auto accident lawyers can help you understand your legal situation, inform you of your rights, draft letters, and be your advocate if there are any disputes.

Whether a lawyer is needed after an accident in the first place will depend on the situation. If there has been a death or an injury, a lawyer is definitely required. Or it there is a dispute over fault with other parties or with the claims adjuster, or if you feel you have a strong case for compensation that is being withheld, look for San Antonio auto accident lawyers. It's in your best interest to be represented by someone who understands what is needed in these stressful situations.