Most lawyers won’t tell you this – but there are plenty of car accident cases for which hiring a lawyer is a waste of your money.
At Ben Glass Law, we perform a six-point assessment on a client’s file before accepting a case. We do this because we only want to work on cases where we can meet our two goals: (1) simplify the client’s life by taking the burden of dealing with the insurance company off of their hands and (2) delivering more dollars to the client’s bank account than the client would be able to get without us. If we don’t think we can meet both of those goals, we won’t take a case.
Here's what we look at:
- Determine Fault – Virginia is a contributory negligence state. If you are at-fault for your accident, even 1% at-fault, you cannot recover damages for your accident. Often, insurance companies use this to reject personal injury claims, even when the victim didn’t contribute to the accident.
- Current Injury – The worse your injury, the more it makes sense to hire a lawyer for your personal injury claims. Accident victims with serious injuries, like broken bones or torn ligaments, should consult with an attorney BEFORE making any recorded statements with the insurance company.
- Previous Injuries – Insurance companies love to use previous injuries as a reason to fight car accident claims. They will point to your previous injuries and claim your car accident injuries are “preexisting.” We will review with you your past medical history to see what impact your health history will have on your settlement.
- Treatment – Insurance companies have a ”length of treatment algorithm” that they use to determine how long you should be treating. If your medical treatment takes longer than the insurance company deems is normal, they will not give you a fair offer for your medical bills.
- Car Insurance – “You can’t get blood from a stone.” We have seen more good cases torpedoed by poor insurance then we can count. As most people don’t know, it is perfectly legal to drive in Virginia without car insurance. If the person who caused your accident is uninsured or underinsured, we will need to look at your policy to see if we can find coverage to pay for your damages.
- Your Health Insurance – Many health insurance companies will seek repayment of bills they paid on your behalf. We will make sure they don’t get more than they deserve (which is sometimes zero).
