Should You Contact a Car Accident Lawyer in Cleveland, Ohio

If you’re involved in one of the 28,643 traffic accidents that occur every year in Cleveland, Ohio, you may find yourself in a situation that isn’t easily resolved by simply exchanging insurance information. A car accident lawyer helps you make your way through the claims process so you don’t have to go it alone.

Why You Need a Car Accident Lawyer

In the immediate aftermath of a car accident, you have a lot on your plate. You could be suffering from pain, going to frequent doctor visits, and needing to miss work. Even simple fender benders have the potential to turn into a complex situation, depending on the parties involved. Here are some situations where having a car accident lawyer on your side is helpful.

1. Uninsured Drivers
   Approximately 12 percent of Ohio drivers lack insurance, even though it’s legally required. If they damage your car or cause injuries, they don’t have an insurance company that can pay out the claim. Trying to get the money you need in this situation can be challenging without a lawyer.
2. Pedestrians
   Pedestrian involvement in car accidents often results in high medical claims, as they aren’t protected by anything if a car hits them. Their condition may involve long-term issues, which also serves to increase the claim amount.
3. Facing a Lawsuit
   Are you getting sued in relation to a car accident? The laws surrounding fault, car accidents, and personal injury claims are complex. Representing yourself could result in paying much higher claims, or losing out on the opportunity to counter-sue if the situation requires it.
4. Dealing with a Multiple Party Accident
   The complexity of a car accident goes up significantly when you’re dealing with multiple parties. Multi-car accidents, injuries of more than one person, and property damage of several businesses can lead to an interwoven web of at-fault claims.
5. Facing Unclear Fault
   It’s not always easy to see who is at fault in a car accident. Even if you’re partially at fault, you could still end up getting a payout if the situation warrants it. Proving fault is an involved process and one that is best suited for a law firm with a full staff, rather than a layperson working on it by themselves.
6. Getting Appropriate Payouts from Insurance
   Denied insurance claims or ones that are insufficient to cover your expenses can leave you in a bad position after a car accident. When you get assistance from a lawyer, they fight for your interests and negotiate with the insurance company.

Injuries Related to Car Accidents

Car accident injuries can range from small to severe, with potentially long-lasting effects. By learning about the most common medical issues associated with car accidents, you can understand the damage involved and how that can change the amount of your claim.

• Minor cuts and bruises: Broken pieces of your car freely travel around the cabin in an accident. This debris can cut or bruise you. It’s also joined by everything that you have unsecured in your car. You may also get injured by the airbag deployment.
• Internal hemorrhaging: Blunt force trauma can result in internal bleeding, which may be challenging to detect.
• Whiplash: Your car comes to a sudden stop in accidents, which can lead to painful movements that hurt the soft tissues of your body. Whiplash is commonly associated with rear-end accidents, as this forces your head down and back. Your neck ends up injured.
• Concussion: Your brain also suffers from a sudden deceleration in a car accident. It’s not always apparent that you’ve suffered from a brain injury, which is why it’s crucial to get examined following a crash. You may experience headaches, issues with cognitive function, an inability to sleep properly, and other chronic conditions.
• Broken bones: Some of the bones most likely to break in an accident include your ribs, wrists, knees, and your limbs. Serious car crashes can lead to more severe injuries, such as broken backs, hips, shoulders, and necks. Some breaks are easy to recover from, while others require surgery.

How Can an Injury Lawyer Help Me After a Car Accident?

A car accident lawyer in Cleveland, OH that handles personal injury claims offers several services. They help you make and manage insurance claims, find evidence to support your claims, create documentation for the car accident, negotiate with the parties involved, and take care of the legal details.

Major Causes of Car Accidents

A number of dangerous driving scenarios can increase your risk of getting into a car accident. While you can’t control other drivers around you, you can drive defensively with these situations in mind.

1. Distracted drivers: Texting while driving is the biggest issue in this category, but other forms of distracted driving include talking on the phone, eating, and watching videos on a device.
2. Drunk and impaired drivers: Judgement calls are difficult to make when a driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They may drive on the wrong side of the road, make erratic movements, or fail to follow traffic laws.
3. High-speed drivers: Going significantly above the speed limit decreases the time someone has to react. They’re not able to move out of the way or brake in time to avoid a collision.
4. Aggressive and reckless driving: Road rage makes it difficult for a driver to think clearly. They don’t have consideration for the people around them, which can lead to accident-prone situations.
5. Adverse weather conditions: Heavy fog, torrential downpours, dust storms, black ice, and blizzards are examples of weather conditions that are dangerous to drive in.

An experienced car accident lawyer will know the relevant laws, how to work with the insurance companies, and all the information they need to advocate for your case. If you’ve been in a car accident in Cleveland, Ohio, reach out to learn more about your personal injury options.