I know what the commercials say, but the truth is you might not need a lawyer after a car accident.
Minnesota law has protections in place to help you get back on your feet after a crash. If you end up getting better and all of your medical bills and lost wages get repaid, there isn't any reason you would need me. But if any red flags pop up, do yourself a favor and talk to an experienced injury lawyer before you make a mistake you could regret later.
If you have an injury that looks like it might not heal right away
This is a big one. If you are having troubles a month, two months, six months after an accident, things are going to be a lot more serious for you than you expected. If you miss a lot of time from work or if you are unable to perform tasks of daily living for a long time, you might be considered disabled. If you still have symptoms a year after the accident with medical treatment, a doctor might testify that you suffered a permanent injury that will be with you for the rest of your life.
This isn't obvious right away so you should take your time before settling your case. I have met with people after accidents where I see the warning signs before they do and they sometimes undergo serious surgeries down the road that wouldn't have been paid for had they accepted the accident scene settlement offers.
Look at the Minnesota No-Fault law injury thresholds. If any of them are going to apply to you, consider calling a personal injury attorney.
If the insurance adjuster is acting fishy
On the same note, take your cue from the insurance company. Do they seem eager to sit you down with a tape-recorder? Do they keep calling to offer you money?
Think about it. If anyone else called you up out of the blue and offered you money you would think they are a con artist. Think no different about the insurance company employees. They are offering you money in the hopes of saving the company money in the long run. They have mountains of data that allow them to predict what is going to happen to you before your doctors even realize it. If they are trying to settle with you early, there may be a good reason. Give a call to an attorney to talk about what's going on. You don't have to sign up with them if you don't want to.
If your injury is very serious
Obviously, if your medical bills are off the charts or if somebody was killed in the crash, you should meet with a lawyer. Once no-fault gets tapped out, which, unfortunately, is pretty darn quick these days, the liability case might be your only option for repayment for missed work and other harms. A lawyer will help you with this and there might be insurance policies in place that you wouldn't otherwise know about.
We had a new client call after a serious injury in which the insurance company was offering him the whole policy limit. Pretty nice of them, huh? Well, they forgot to tell him one little thing. There was an extra million dollars of coverage in place that he never knew about because, get this, he never asked. If you are badly hurt, talk to a personal injury lawyer.
If someone passed away in the crash, a settlement or claim will bring on some additional legal complications. Wrongful death claims, especially, should be discussed with an accident lawyer.
If there is a dispute about what happened in the car accident
Assuming there is a substantial harm indicating a claim is on the horizon, if there is any liability dispute in the works, talk to a lawyer. Lawyers can find the accident reconstructionists, experts, and witnesses you will need for the fight that is certain to take place down the road. The Minnesota State Highway Patrol does a good job of recording the evidence at the scene, so the assertion that you need to hire a personal injury lawyer from the accident scene so that he can show up with his Sherlock Holmes hat and magnifying glass is a myth. We will get what we need to prove your case, even if you call us after some time.
Don't take this one for granted. A defense lawyer's job is to create a liability dispute where there was none. Don't be surprised if a lawsuit's answer blames a rear-end crash driver for "causing his own injuries". We have seen passengers blamed for their own injuries.
These are some broad strokes. As usual, if you have any questions, shoot me an email.