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There are thousands of car and truck accidents on the road and highways of Kentucky every day

Being injured in an automobile accident can be devastating for those involved and their families. After an accident, not only are you dealing with the pain and suffering of your injuries, but you have to deal with medical treatment, the stress and anxiety of paying medical bills, and loss of earning ability, as you are likely unable to work.

Many people who are injured in car and truck crashes believe that they could handle their case by themselves. This would be a terrible mistake to make. Not only would you be dealing with your injuries and treatment, you would also have to deal with hospital bills, insurance companies, police investigation inquiries, etc. The best practice would be to contact an experienced Louisville car accident lawyer and ask questions to see what is the best course of action. Car insurance companies will have a small army of adjusters, lawyers and private investigators working to make sure you will not get the fair and honest compensation you deserve for your personal injuries and damages. You should have your own team of experienced attorneys on your side fighting for your rights and fair compensation.

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How can an experienced lawyer help your car accident case?

The lawyers and staff at Hessig & Pohl have successfully litigated hundreds of car and truck accidents. We have been able to win fair compensation for our clients over the years. If you retain the lawyers at Hessig & Pohl we will immediately begin to do whatever is necessary to bring your case to a successful conclusion and to get you the fair compensation that you deserve. There are many things that we will do to fight against the defendant and their insurance company.

Here are just a few of the things that the staff and attorneys at Hessig & Pohl will do to make your car crash case a success:

Take detailed photographs and measurements

Take detailed photographs and measurements at the scene of the crash, noting the lengths of any skid marks and locations of the vehicles. This information is useful in determining and proving who was at fault. If necessary, we will hire an accident reconstruction expert who will use all of this evidence to determine fault.

Collect evidence

Collect and maintain any evidence at the scene of the accident that might be relevant and make sure to ensure the "chain of custody" of the evidence is secure so that it can be used in court without claims of evidence tampering. Some types of physical evidence could be pieces of the various involved, as well as dash camera footage.

Find witnesses

Immediately track down all witnesses and parties to the crash and get their recorded statements. This is extremely important because over time people's memories fade and become less useful and reliable. Sometimes, trials in car and truck accident cases takes years after the date of the crash. So, these recorded and transcribed statements are useful to refresh witnesses' memories.

Retrieve investigation report

Acquire the police accident investigation report and any documentation, photos or measurements taken by the police while investigating the crash. Again, this information can be used by the accident reconstruction expert.

Gather any black box records

Most modern vehicles have what is called the "black box" just like airplanes. A vehicle's black box records real-time data about the vehicle such as distance, speed, braking and what the driver is doing right before a crash. This information can be helpful in recreating the cause of the accident.

Automobile Crashes Can Be Complicated Cases

Many questions and issues can arise as to who is at fault and what types of insurance will be available to compensate you for your injuries. The smartest thing to do is to contact an experienced Louisville car and truck accident lawyer who can provide answers to all of your questions and to help you through this difficult time.

Remember to ask about our Fee Free Consulation

Contingency Fees

You should not hire an attorney that will charge you up front or will charge you an hourly basis in a Kentucky car or truck accident case. Further, it usually does not cost anything to hire an injury lawyer. Most injury attorneys take cases on what is called a contingency basis or a contingency fee. This means that they will not charge you by the hour and will not ask for any money up front in order to represent you. What they will do is take a percentage of your winnings, assuming you either settle your case or win a verdict after a jury trial. The type of percentage taken can depend upon many things:

  • The size of the case — if it is a large case that will require a significant amount of work then the lawyer might ask for a larger percentage.
  • The type of case — some types of cases are just harder to win than others. In these instances, the lawyer might ask for a higher percentage.
  • Difficult cases — the lawyer might ask for a higher percentage if the case has a low chance of winning due to lack of evidence or the law is not helpful.

A standard fee around most of the country is 33 percent contingency if the case is settled before trial or 40 percent contingency if the case goes to trial. The reason for the bump in the amount of fee is that at trial, an attorney would have to do significantly more work. Further, the chances at winning at a jury trial can be difficult to know. You never know what a jury will do no matter how good you think your case was presented and how much the facts are in your favor.

Car accidents happen everyday on the roads and highways of Kentucky.

Value of Your Case

Another good reason to retain an experienced auto accident lawyer is that they will likely have a good idea as to how much money your case is worth. They will know how much money you would likely receive in pain and suffering and other damages depending upon the nature of the accident and the extent of the injuries. An experienced car accident lawyer will also know the insurance companies and the individual adjusters and how difficult each adjuster can be.

A lawyer that has a lot of experience with auto crashes will be able to fairly and accurately determine the worth of your accident claim. There are many issues, however, that must be considered when putting a dollar figure on any particular case. But the first thing you should do is to contact an experienced car accident attorney to have all of your questions answered. The issues that will affect the value of your case are as follows:

  • How bad were you injured? Did the injury heal completely in six weeks or will you suffer from the injury for years or forever? Was surgery required to fix your injuries? Was there permanent aspects to the injury such as scarring or the need for implants to repair bones, thus possibly causing arthritis later in life?

 

  • How much are your medical bills? Usually, the amount of medical bills can be helpful in demonstrating how serious an injury is. This number includes past medical bills but also future medical bills for any ongoing treatment that might be needed. A good car accident attorney can hire an expert to determine what amount of future medical bills will be necessary and factor that number into the equation.
  • What is the amount of your lost wages? Just like with medical bills, this number counts both past lost wages as well as future lost wages due a lower earning power caused by an ongoing disability. Again, a good attorney will hire an expert called an economist who will determine the amount of future lost wages, along with interest, that you might lose due to a permanent disability caused by the accident.
  • What is the amount of “pain and suffering” that you have endured? This category of damages is called non-economic damages and can be difficult to put a number on it because there is no formula that can be used. The only way to determine this number is to hire an experienced lawyer who has handled many car or truck crash cases and can fairly judge the case to calculate an amount of money to ask for.
  • How much insurance coverage are you able to get access to? This issue involves the insurance policy limits an at-fault driver has to cover your injuries. Also, do you have underinsurance or uninsurance (UM/UIM) coverage if the at-fault driver does not have insurance or does not have enough insurance. You may have suffered injuries that an average person would agree should be worth millions of dollars. However, you will only receive the policy limits of the various insurance policies that are in play.

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The Importance of Hiring a Louisville Motorcycle Crash Lawyer

Automobile crashes can be complicated litigation. Many questions and issues can arise as to who is at fault and what types of insurance will be available to compensate you for your injuries. The smartest thing to do is to contact an experienced car and truck accident attorney who can provide answers to all of your questions and to help you through this difficult time.

The lawyers and staff at Hessig & Pohl are here to help. Contact us at (502) 777-1111 for a free consultation.