If you’ve stumbled upon this blog, chances are good you were recently involved in a car accident. Recovery was a long and arduous process, but somehow you managed to escape death, and for that you’re thankful. But now it’s time to find a Los Angeles car accident attorney because the perpetrator of your unnecessary car accident shouldn’t get away with not paying. But, you have one burning question:

How does a car accident attorney recover money for injured folks such as you?

You’ve probably seen numerous commercials promising lofty settlements for your injuries if you call now. Firms like this often have a very large team who’ve perfected a streamlined process to getting you shoveled into a settlement and whisked out the door. People tend to refer to these as ‘settlement mills’. Because injury litigation encompasses more than one type of monetary relief, this process often fails to provide compensation for everything victims have gone through.

So, here’s how it’s done properly.

The Information Stage

During this phase of litigation, an attorney will substantiate your claim. Not that they believe you’re lying, but the defendant will often paint a much darker picture of your involvement. To completely clear your name of all wrongdoing, lawyers will be (or should be, at least) thorough in their examination of police reports, witness statement vetting, medical record review, and may even opt to re-create the scene to familiarize themselves with exactly where you were before you crashed.

This chunk of information is put into a manila folder, then reviewed by your attorney of record once again. You’ll probably visit with your attorney at some point when they’ve collected everything.

The Negotiation Stage

When the negotiation stage begins, the Los Angeles car accident attorney will engage the insurance company, who will already have received their report from the adjuster. They’ll denounce your claim is serious, and still attempt to offer a pittance of a settlement because they think they have the upper hand. This weak tactic of theirs is laughable, at best, because well-practiced attorneys know what juries tend to award accident victims in similar situations as yours.

After several days or weeks of going back and forth, two things will happen: an attorney will have drawn up an agreeable settlement favorable to their client, or prepare the case for litigation, either which is fine if the attorney possesses the preponderance of evidence necessary to earn a much larger settlement.

The final settlement, however, conceived, will reflect medical bills, payment for income lost, any punitive damages we believe courts should impose upon the at-fault driver, and monies for pain and suffering.

The Check Cutting Stage, and Beyond

Once a definitive settlement has been agreed on, the car accident attorney Los Angeles victims choose will have a settlement check in hand after it’s clear the attorney's bank. It can be either mailed or picked up at the attorney’s office. Either way, victims feel vindicated when that check hits their hands.

From there, your case file will close. Some attorneys may opt to give a follow-up call to check on victims’ welfare, while others may send a thank you card or email requesting a survey of services rendered.

To Summarize

The exact process used in settling car accident claims is indicative to the type of accident that occurred. Commercial accidents may require extra steps, as will those at-fault drivers without car insurance. Some car accident types may render larger settlements, whereas others could offer slightly less.

Regardless the accident type, victims who were needlessly injured due to a willfully negligent driver are indeed entitled to compensation, which a Los Angeles car accident attorney can help secure.