Episode 104: Calloway County accident attorney Jeff Roberts discusses the 7 Benefits of Hiring an Attorney if You’ve Been in an Accident. Motor vehicle accidents are far more complicated than most people realize. An experienced attorney works directly for your best interests. He knows how to protect you from making bad decisions related to the benefits you deserve.
Jeff has over 32 years of experience handling car wrecks, motorcycle accidents and trucking collisions. He has an office in Murray and another in Hopkinsville. He represents clients in Bowling Green and many cities throughout Kentucky.
Benefit #1: An Attorney Can Explain What You’re Entitled to Receive
You may be unfamiliar with what you’re have a right to receive. At the same time, you may not be sure about the process involved in pursuing the recover for your damages. This is especially true for someone who hasn’t been involved in a car wreck before.
Recovery for your lost wages is very important. Getting your medical bills paid is a serious concern for people injured in a motorcycle wreck or auto accident. How can they get reimbursed for prescriptions, co-pays and/or property damage? What is a claim for pain and suffering? Your attorney will be able to answer these questions and guide you during the legal process.
Jeff offers FREE CONSULTATIONS for anyone injured in an accident. He works on a contingency fee basis, which means Jeff only gets paid at the end of a case, if he’s able to negotiate a settlement or wins your case in court. If there is no recovery, the client doesn’t owe him an attorney fee or reimbursement for the case expenses he paid in advance. Listen to Episode 56 during which Jeff explains how a contingency fee works. No upfront costs is another one of the benefits of hiring an attorney if you’ve been in an accident.
Benefit #2: Your Attorney Will Explain the Next Steps and Keep You Informed
Jeff understands that people get anxious, especially when they don’t know what’s coming next. The legal process, the medical treatment options and the time involved can be extremely confusing. You don’t need to try to figure all of this out on your own.
In previous episodes, Jeff has recommended people consider buying both short-term and long-term disability insurance. It can help to handle expenses while you’re out of work due to the injuries you sustained in the car wreck.
Fear of the unknown in real. An attorney can provide you with peace of mind. This is crucial while you’re healing from your injuries and coping with collision-related PTSD.
Benefit #3: An Attorney Knows How to Gather the Evidence from Your Wreck
Most people don’t know what types of evidence can be important to their car wreck case. They may not understand how to go about gathering that evidence. Episode 3 focuses on what to do after a traffic accident.
One important step you can do is to take photos at the accident scene, if you’re able to do so. The police officer may also take pictures and there may be a recording on his/her body camera.
Witness statements can be helpful, so gathering the names and contact information from anyone who saw the collision is important.
If needed, an attorney can also hire an accident reconstructionist who will attempt to determine the factors leading up to the motor vehicle accident. They play a critical role in determining who was at-fault for the collision. They’ll document the skid marks, gouge marks and the position of the vehicles in the roadway. They’ll obtain information from the event data recorder in each vehicle (“the black box”). Your collision may be proven to have been caused, in part, by some type of equipment failure. Jeff points out the his seen a number of car wrecks on Kirksey Road near Highway 80 or Highway 299, in Calloway County. An accident reconstructionist can preserve the evidence, before another collision in the area happens. This would make it very difficult to establish the facts related to the prior collision.
Jeff may also need to hire other experts in your case. These might include a life care planner, an economist and a vocational expert, and also medical specialists to explain the extent of injuries.
Benefit #4: An Attorney Takes Away the Headache of Dealing with the Insurance Company
Jeff explains how he works with the adjuster to try to resolve the claim, but they’re not always able to agree to what the value of the claim should be. After an accident, you may be dealing with multiple insurance representatives. One will handle the no-fault claim (“PIP” benefits). Another adjuster will handle the liability or bodily injury portion of the claim. Another adjuster (or 2 adjusters) would handle the property damage portion of the claim. You may have an under insured motorist claim that would be handled by yet another adjuster.
Imagine the amount of paperwork, phone calls and letters that will be involved. An attorney will handle all of this for you, which will definitely reduce the stress and anxiety while you heal. Peace of mind is one of the the more important benefits of hiring an attorney if you’ve been in an accident.
Benefit #5: An Attorney Will Negotiate on Your Behalf
Because an experienced auto accident attorney understands the process and the damages, he/she will be better at negotiating the settlement of your claim(s). It’s not unreasonable for an individual to not fully understand the value of the injury. There is medical treatment, rehabilitation, potential additional surgeries, time off work and other considerations to go into establishing the value of an injury claim. The attorney may also have extensive experience negotiating with a specific insurance company.
Jeff has over 32 years of experience handling injury claims on a daily basis, it’s one of the benefits of hiring an attorney if you’ve been in an accident.
In Episode 5, Jeff explained the importance of understanding your injury settlement release. If you rush into this, you may be giving up important rights to have future medical procedures paid for, as part of your claim. Complications happen quite often. If you’re speaking to the adjuster, you may inadvertently agree to something that can be used to prevent you from receiving those benefits. Insurance adjusters are highly trained negotiators, regardless of how helpful they may seem to be.
Benefit #6: An Attorney Will Be Extremely Important if Your Case Goes to Trial
The majority of motor vehicle claims settle before they go to court. However, should your case need to go to trial, you’ll want to have an experienced attorney on your side, even though you could do it on your own. Jeff has a reputation as a very effective litigator.
The court has very specific procedures and deadlines. If you fail to comply with them or don’t file documents by the specific deadlines, you may be prevented from pursuing your claim. In Episode 55, Jeff explains the importance of the statute of limitations.
Benefit #7: An Attorney Will Manage any Healthcare Liens
Many people don’t realize that your insurance company and other parties (i.e. Medicare or Medicaid) may have the right to a portion of your settlement. If your healthcare insurance paid for any of your treatment, they place a lien on any settlement or verdict you may receive. This is called a healthcare lien. If you were to take your settlement and spend the money before the liens are paid, you will be held personally liable. An experienced injury attorney will help you to avoid that situation anytime a subrogation interest is involved.
In Episode 95, we discussed that Jeff was elected President of the Kentucky Justice Association, by his peers. This is a statewide organization of attorneys, most of whom represent injured people. Jeff is going to present at an upcoming conference on a topic related to motor vehicle accidents. His recognized skill and knowledge is are benefits of hiring an attorney if you’ve been in an accident.
We hope you found this episode insightful and helpful.
Thank you for listening!
What Do Other Clients Think About Jeff?
We always encourage listeners to read the Google Reviews Jeff Roberts has received from many of his clients. A 5-Star rating and the comments are earned recognition and demonstrate Jeff’s commitment to his clients. As a solo attorney, he has more Google Reviews than some firms with multiple attorneys. Jeff shares the credit with his staff at the Roberts Law Office. Successfully representing injured clients is a team effort. It’s why Jeff likes to say his firm offers small town service with big city results.
Jeff Roberts Represents Injured Clients Throughout Kentucky
With offices located in Calloway County (Murray) and now in Christian County (Hopkinsville), Jeff has a history of representing personal injury clients, workers’ compensation clients and social security disability clients across the state. He’s represented clients from Paducah, Bowling Green, Louisville, Covington, Whitesville and many other Kentucky locations. He’s not just a Western Kentucky injury attorney.
Is It Time to Speak with an Attorney about Your Automobile Accident Injury Claim?
The office phone number is (270) 753-0053 or toll free at 800-844-5108. For more information, visit www.JeffRobertsLaw.com. This podcast is meant to provide information and is not legal advice. Jeff’s principal office is located at 509 Main Street, Murray, Kentucky. Co-host Jim Ray is a non-attorney spokesperson. This is an advertisement.
