Q: I was involved in a car collision and feel like I am hurt. When should I hire an attorney?
A: This is a good question. All good questions have an answer that starts with “It depends.” This is no different. When you should hire an attorney after your car accident depends.
You want to hire an attorney when you are sure you are injured. So, if you are in an accident on January 1, 2009, you do not want to hire someone on January 2, 2009 if you are not sure you are hurt. You also want to make sure you know the extent of your injury. So, if you have a contusion to your knee, it may not be serious enough to hire an attorney. It may just require a doctor visit or two and wrapping your knee. For that, you do not need an attorney.
At the same time, do not wait too long. If you have a bodily injury and your injuries are serious, then you should be talking to an attorney. If you wait, evidence may be altered or lost, witnesses may have memory fade, or there may be something that comes up in your case that makes it impossible to resolve. For example, if you want too long, you may lose the ability to determine if the other driver had insurance without filing a lawsuit.
When you know you are injured, talk to an attorney. The phone call is free and you can get some information. You may not need an attorney, but at least you will know whether you have a case and whether you need representation.