The Intake Process for Car auto accident law firms Litigation

A lawyer who is experienced in the field of car accident litigation will be able to help you determine the strength of your case and how much settlement you could receive. However this is only possible if you have all the information needed.

The initial step in a car accident lawsuit is called discovery. In this phase attorneys and their teams exchange documents and ask each other questions under an oath.

Documentation

Documentation is a significant element of an auto accident law firm accident. This can include evidence such as photographs, medical records or witness statements. Generally speaking, the more evidence you can provide to support your claim, the stronger your claim will be.

A law enforcement report is the very first document you need. Typically, the police officer who arrives at the scene of the accident will draft reports, and these will provide important information about how the accident occurred and who was responsible for the incident.

If needed your attorney has to use a police report to gather additional evidence. For instance, if an incident took place in a commercial or office, an employee working at the site might have recorded footage of the incident. If this is the case a copy of the tape must be requested from the business as quickly as possible.

You should also document the costs you have incurred as a result of the accident. This can include medical bills and records for your treatment, receipts for medications rental car charges and in-home assistance or care transport costs, and much more. In addition, you should record any income loss due to your accident. You can utilize old tax returns and pay stubs.

If you can, get the names of any witnesses to the incident as well. These witnesses can be valuable sources of information for your case, especially if they are able to be present at trial. However, it's important to remember that witnesses are prone to altering their stories over time and could forget specific details about the incident.

Intake and Investigation

If you have filed an insurance claim with an company or are preparing a lawsuit against an at-fault driver, the process of obtaining an intake is essential to receive the full and fair amount of compensation for the injuries you sustained in a crash. Your attorney will start by reviewing your medical documents, as well as copies of accident reports and other evidence. They will also go to and document the accident scene.

This will allow them to comprehend the extent of injuries you have suffered as well as the cost and projections for your emotional or physical suffering. They will then analyze your existing and expected financial losses to estimate the value of your case. The damages could comprise not only your current and future medical costs but also lost income and property damage.

Your lawyer will also investigate and interview witnesses and analyzing the available evidence. They will also collect the driver at fault's driving records and phone records to determine how they used their vehicle at the time of the collision. This is especially important if there was a collision involving an Uber or Lyft car or any other indication that the driver was working on the clock.

As part of the discovery process the lawyer will ask about the defendant's traffic and criminal offence records. Generally speaking, these facts are not admissible in court, but they can be useful to undermine the credibility of a defendant during cross-examination.

Negotiating a Settlement

After you've obtained the medical documents after which your lawyer can start settlement negotiations. The insurance company is likely to make an initial offer that is much lower than the amount you requested in your letter. This is a strategy to see how strong your case. In the counteroffer, it is important to emphasize the strongest arguments for your side - for example, that the insured was at the fault and that you sustained severe injuries with high medical expenses. Eventually, back and forth bargaining should result in an amount that is both reasonable and fair.

A skilled attorney for accidents will effectively argue the benefits of your claim, including presenting evidence to support your losses. This may include photos of your car damages, police reports and witness testimony. We also know how to calculate the value of various elements of your claim, such as loss of income, suffering and pain.

If the insurance company is unwilling to pay an acceptable amount at this point, we can start a lawsuit. A trial usually lasts up to two days and is either heard by an individual judge (called a bench trial) or by a jury. If your case settles before this stage it can take a few months. Your attorney may also be able file a summary motion for judgment. This involves asserting all of the evidence to your advantage and arguing that it's impossible for the opposing side to prevail.

Filing an action

In the majority of car accident cases the parties can resolve their disagreement outside of court. Our team will work to help you negotiate a settlement with the other driver's insurance company or directly with the party at fault. If no agreement is reached, our attorneys will file a suit against the defendant. The Complaint outlines your claims as well as allegations regarding the accident and the reasons why you are entitled to compensation. The defendant is served the Complaint, and given a set amount of time to respond.

During the discovery phase, our lawyers will share documents and other material with the defendant, while asking questions via interrogatories and depositions. Our team will pose questions to the lawyer for the defendant about their perspective on the events, including what injuries you've suffered and what they believe happened. took place. We will also seek out experts to back our position.

During the discovery phase, your lawyer may submit legal documents, also known as motions in court for the decision of a judge. These could include requests to the court to block certain evidence, or to set the date for a trial. It can take as long as an entire year for the discovery process to be completed and a trial date to be set. It's crucial to consult with an experienced Long Island auto accident attorney as early as you can during the process.