I got rear ended on the freeway & my whole rear end got smashed. I am ok though. Should I hire a lawyer?

Smiley

Yes. Always hire an attorney in such cases!

Just_gone

http://www.lawyers.com
Hire a professional, and I am not a lawyer.

dumbo

call your insurance the should help you negotiate a quick settlement

mes210

Is the car paid for? Is it worth repairing? Don't accept the first offer they will try to offer you zilch. Three estimates for repair at your places of your choice is great and OEM parts is good some states require they use OEM parts if you ask for them to.If your car is not payed for and they offer to pay it off it will probably not be enough to replace what you have Lawyer not really needed when No injuries. If car is worth fixing Threaten to fix it yourself and let your insurance company go after theirs for the paymant It will normally bring the payment within a resonable range.Let them know you want replaced with equivelant car Mileage and all.

Your # 2 loser

Call and make a claim to the other divers insurance company. Tell them that your car is totaled, they will send out a adjuster to asses the car. Then they will tell you the blue book value with the mileage that the car is worth. This is where it gets a bit tricky... If you own the car they will generally low ball you, and If you are still paying the bank on it they will not offer you the payoff. If in either of these cases they do this to you, let them know that you will be retaining a attorney and this will be resolved quickly. Usually at that point they will be easier to deal with. Keep in mind to not get frustrated and not to yell at anyone, as this will only hinder your chances to get the most money you can. Also remember after 2 weeks have passed you still might get sores or pains or even have to go to the hospital for something else that might arise from the crash. You'll wanna definately include that to the insurance company if that happens. Good luck to you.

lawyers arent always your best bet but i would definately contact the other persons insurance company but they are always gonna try and do as little as possible so maybe a lawyer would be better but my advice to you is be very thorough in your search check as many as you can and be selective in your desicion good luck and they get 30% of your recovery standard

sean

call your insurance company--most insurance companies
give you a time limit for instance --12 or 24 hours
to report and accident

if you are not getting results you are satisfied with then
contact the attorney--i was in a similar situation unhurt and
my insurance company wrote me a check for 1900.00 more
than my car was worth-

MARK S

Why would you go to a lawyer? If you ever needed a lawyer would yo go to an insurance company?

S17V

What exactly are you trying to pursue here? If you are okay and as you state, not injured, yet want a settlement, that's insurance fraud. Now if you are talking about the property damage - most attorney's will not take property damage cases only - and you should go ahead and deal with it yourself.

Again, what exactly are you attempting to gain from hiring an attorney? If you feel you are entitled to a settlement just for getting in an accident, you are greatly mistaken - if you are not injured, you are only entitled to compensation for your property damage. If you were injured in the accident, that is a different story.

scorpio78

First you need to call your insurance comapny and then the other person's insurance company. That way a claim can be made and they can come and look at the damage to your car. If the cops were called you need to get a copy of the police report. If they weren't called you need to go to the station and see what can be done into filing one. Most car insurances now will not make a claim without a report. Godd luck.

Rich B

Yes, call a personal injury lawyer. I have attached a search from this site. If you are thinking of settling out of court with the insurance company, don't take their first offer!!

PeppermintandPopcorn

Call your insurance company. They have lawyers already and will represent your concerns (after all, you are paying for this service - use it!)

la428282

Why would you contact a lawyer when you dont even know if anything is going to go wrong? I never understood why people just wanna give away money...

You are being honest (which is a start) and saying your fine..... well... no lawyer will take just a property damage case anyways.. and if they do.. nothing they do will make the investigation go faster.

Please.. save yourself the money... call and file a claim...

bic

you call your insurance.

ca_surveyor

Sounds like the only issue is the repair of your car.

Contact YOUR insurance company and give them the details. Let them handle it.. that's what you have been paying them for. Since it was not your fault it wont count against you at all.

They will give you the advice and contacts you need to get your car fixed or, if you have a place ready to repair it, they will provide that information and exchange to the other persons insurance.

Most importantly, your state prob. requires you to file a report. If you don't and the other person does, you risk a ticket or suspension from your DMV.. the insurance company will handle that for you also.

pretty simple.. don't try to overdo it.

.

bump

Use the insurance route first. If you get no satisfaction, then go to a lawyer. As long as the car gets fixed to your satisfaction, and the other party's insurance covers all of your expenses, than there is really no reason to involve a lawyer. That's only extra expense for you.

Of course, if you feel in any way that your rights are being comprimised or overlooked, then by all means get a laywer to represent you.

comptech76

It is wise to contact your insurance company, the department of motor vehicles (in some states they will suspend your license if you don't report an accident within 30 days). Your insurance provider will contact the other insurance provider. Insurance providers are in business to keep people out of court that's why we all pay for insurance.

Moondog

You said he has insurance. Get you car fixed. If you aren't hurt then that is it.

blb

Most of these answers are terrible answers. If you are not injured there is no reason to contact an attorney. They take 30-40% of the settlement. Call the other persons insurance and turn in a claim. It takes longer when you go thru the other company because they will not make any payments until they are sure their insured is at fault for the accident. If you vehicle is not driveable and you have collision coverage on your own insurance policy that would be the best way to handle the claim. Your company will pay for the damages to your vehicle right away and then they will subrogate against the other insurance company. When they subrogate, they will ask for the money they paid out back along with your deductible. When they get it, they will reimburse you for the deductible.

Good luck

Relax Guy

Don't forget its called accident for a reason. The person who hit you did the right thing stopping and giving you their info. If you try to make a profit off this, that is from a morality issue, dipping back in the charity pot. Make sure you are fully reimbursed for your care and any medical bills, and I can understand $ for missed work. But trying to profit off of someone Else's accident is wrong.

Mommy of 2 awesome babies

That is why we have insurance. Probably a waste of time to hire a lawyer. You probably will have to settle with the insurance, unless they don't pay you nothing. If you had gotten injured and you weren't happy with the settlement, then hire a lawyer (my inlaws did that) but otherwise, you have to go through the insurance, either way.

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