I am often asked by people: Is it ever too soon to contact a personal injury attorney after an accident? The answer is that you should contact a personal injury attorney as soon as it is safely possible. For instance, if you are in an automobile accident and are injured, you should (1) get to safety, (2) cooperate with the police officer’s investigation, and (3) seek emergency medical treatment (if necessary). After those tasks are complete, then you should contact an accident attorney.
You should contact an attorney before calling any insurance company or giving a recorded statement. An attorney should communicate to insurance companies on your behalf. Attorneys are more experienced and sophisticated when dealing with defendant insurance companies. For instance, an accident victim without an attorney will typically give a recorded statement when asked by an insurance company. An accident victim will likely think that he or she is required to give a recorded statement under Louisiana law. But this is not the case. An attorney will likely counsel the victim not to give a recorded statement because there is little leverage gained by giving one.
Calling an attorney soon after an accident is also important because an attorney will want to start preserving evidence after an accident to strengthen the accident victim’s case. For instance, an attorney may go to the accident scene and take pictures of skid marks and any improperly marked roadways or other hazards. If you wait too long valuable evidence may be destroyed or removed from the accident scene and an attorney will not be able to preserve evidence whenever the client eventually retains him.
It is also important to document injuries with medical professionals soon after an accident. Attorneys will help coordinate your treatment with medical professionals as soon as possible after an accident. If an accident victim waits too long to seek medical treatment after an accident, it may severely hurt the case because the insurance companies will doubt injury.
Most personal injury attorneys represent accident victims under contingency fee contracts, so their fees are based on a percentage of the total amounts recovered. It will not cost you any extra money to retain an attorney soon after your accident as opposed to waiting weeks or months after an accident. Also, some personal injury attorneys will be less likely to accept a case if the accident victim has waited too long after an accident.
If you have suffered injury from an accident and have questions about when to get an attorney, contact Law Office of Donald D’Aunoy Jr., LLC today for a FREE consultation: 1000 Veterans Blvd #203, Metairie, LA 70005, Phone: 504-508-6414. Speak directly with an attorney. Attorney Donald D’Aunoy Jr. offers FREE house calls to personal injury clients throughout southeast Louisiana, including Algiers, Amite, Avondale, Belle Chasse, Bogalusa, Boutte, Chalmette, Covington, Cut Off, Destrehan, Edgard, Franklinton, Galliano, Gretna, Hammond, Harahan, Harvey, Houma, Jefferson, Kenner, Laplace, Lacombe, Larose, Luling, Lutcher, Madisonville, Mandeville, Marrero, Marrero, Morgan City, Montegut, New Orleans, Norco, Patterson, Pearl River, Ponchatoula, Prairieville, Raceland, River Ridge, Slidell, St. Rose, Thibodaux, Tickfaw, Westwego. Mr. D’Aunoy is well reviewed on sites such as Avvo and Facebook.
