Hopefully, you’ll never find yourself in a position where you’ll need to hire a car accident lawyer. If you do, that probably means you sustained injuries in a car wreck. Maybe the other driver totaled your car. Perhaps they even killed one of your passengers, and you’re going to file a wrongful death lawsuit. 

If you’re injured in a car accident, or you have some other reason to file a car crash lawsuit, you might not feel sure about everything that a car accident lawyer can potentially do for you. We’ll talk about that in detail now.

They Can Tell You Whether They Think You Have a Strong Case

When you meet with a car crash lawyer for the first time, then they will probably ask you a lot of questions. You should attempt to answer them as honestly as you can.

By asking you these questions, your would-be lawyer can attempt to ascertain whether you have a strong case or not. If it sounds like proving that you didn’t cause the accident will present some challenges, then they still might agree to take you on as a client. If it sounds impossible to win a lawsuit against the other driver or their insurance, though, then the lawyer might tell you that they recommend dropping the issue. 

They Can Instruct Their Investigator to Find Evidence Proving Your Case

Let’s assume that the lawyer you spoke to says they think that you have a case. They’ll willingly take you on as a client. 

They can next instruct their investigator to look for evidence that will prove you didn’t cause the accident and that the other driver did. Usually, a law firm or lawyer in the car crash niche will have an investigator who they use to find evidence in these cases. If you hired a large, prestigious law firm, then they will probably have an entire investigative team at their disposal.

This investigator or team will look for physical evidence that proves you didn’t cause the car accident, if any exists. They might try to find photos or videos of the crash site or the accident. 

Maybe you took some pictures or video with your smartphone at the scene. Failing that, maybe traffic camera footage exists that you can use.

They might also look for eyewitnesses. They till try to get the police car accident report that details what happened. The more evidence the investigator can collect, the more likely you can win your case and get the money to cover your economic and non-economic damages.

They Can Negotiate with the Other Driver and Their Defense Team

Your attorney can negotiate with the other driver and their defense team. Perhaps you will attend these meetings, or you might prefer that your lawyer do the negotiating for you.

You might give your attorney a number that you’re looking for from the defendant. If they extend a lowball offer to your lawyer, then you might rely on them to try to get the defendant to the number for which you’re looking. Maybe you came up with a number that includes your economic losses, but also enough to cover your non-economic ones, such as pain and suffering, as well.  

They Can Argue in Front of a Judge and Jury

Your car crash lawyer can argue in front of a judge and jury if that ever becomes necessary. Many times, these lawsuits never progress that far. Often, both parties will want to settle.

By settling, you avoid drawing out these negotiations. They take time and energy, and probably the defendant doesn’t want to go through this any more than you do.

If the defendant proves to be stubborn, though, or you’re dealing with their insurance company, and they don’t want to settle, then you will need your lawyer to make a courtroom appearance. They need to have poise and convince the jury that the crash happened like you said it did and not in the way the other driver or their insurance company described.

They Can Tell You Whether to Take a Settlement Offer

If the other driver or their insurance company eventually offers you a settlement, your lawyer can tell you whether they think you should take it or not. Ultimately, you must decide whether or not to take that offer. A car accident lawyer will likely have the advantage of many years of experience in this area to rely on when handling your case.

They can tell you what number they think makes sense. If they feel that you can probably get more out of the defendant if you’re a little patient, then they might give you that advice. If they suggest that you offer a counter, then maybe you’ll give them the green light to do that. 

They Can Try to Discredit the Other Driver 

They can do one more thing for you. If the other driver won’t settle, and they insist that you caused the accident, even if you disagree, then they may choose to take the stand and argue in their own defense during the trial.

Your lawyer can then attempt to discredit the other driver. That’s not a fun thing to do, but it’s sometimes required if the other driver stubbornly claims that they’re not guilty of doing anything wrong. 

Your lawyer might poke some holes in the other driver’s story. By doing so, they may convince the jury to deliver a verdict in your favor if the trial gets to that point. Keep in mind that the other driver might halt the trial at any time before the verdict to offer you a settlement if they feel the jury’s turning against them. 

Your lawyer can do all these things for you, and they can also act as your biggest cheerleader if you need that during this process. Your family and friends will doubtless support you as well, but they don’t have the expertise in the legal niche that your lawyer does.