You have finally gotten over the initial fear and anxiety of receiving that call that your child has been involved in a car accident. Now that you have ensured that they are safe, it is time to handle the accident. When dealing with teenage car accidents, it is usually a good idea to get legal advice from a car accident attorney. An auto accident lawyer can provide the following services.
Ensure just compensation
If your teenager was the victim of the auto accident, they may be owed compensation. While auto insurance company?s cover repairs to vehicles, your auto accident lawyer may also sue for compensation to cover the deductible or any medical costs. Fortunately, 95% to 96% of personal injury cases are settled pretrial, meaning your teen won?t have to go through a lengthy and confusing legal battle.
Push for legal charges, when needed
The three most common causes of car accidents in the U.S. are distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding. Each of these causes is illegal and the person can be charged with a ticket, high fines, or even criminal charges. When you work with an auto accident lawyer, you ensure that legal charges are given, when needed. Pushing for legal charges reduces the chances of that person committing the same crime, and causing another auto accident down the road.
Avoid life changing legal charges
It is also possible that your teen was at fault in the auto accident. Teens are at an increased risk of auto accidents because they are not as experienced and they are more likely to engage in things like distracted driving and drinking and driving. If your teenager was engaging in an illegal activity that caused the accident, they are at risk of potentially life changing legal charges. A DUI, for example, can follow them into college and later, into their professional career. Working with an auto accident lawyer reduces these charges and gives your teen the opportunity to learn their lesson, without having it affect the rest of their life.
Avoid insurance increases
Insurance is necessary and is even required in many states. Yet, if you are in an auto accident and need to use your insurance, your premiums increase. Depending on where you live, this could result in hundreds of dollars per month of an increase. You don?t even have to be at fault to see a premium increase. Working with an auto accident attorney can help to keep your insurance rates down. Attorneys can negotiate with the legal system, getting charges reduced or even dropped, which can directly affect the change in the insurance premium. Auto accident lawyers are also helpful in getting points dropped. Many insurance companies increase insurance prices based on a person?s points.
Receive compensation for all damages
Additionally, your insurance company should cover all damages to your vehicle, even if your teen is the one at fault. Some insurance companies will look for loopholes to prevent having to pay the full price of the vehicle. Working with an auto accident lawyer can be helpful in receiving full compensation for the damages to the vehicle. A couple of hundred dollars may not seem like a big deal, but you are paying the insurance company to cover the entire vehicle, not just a portion of it.
Every teenage parent fears the possibility of their child getting into, or causing an auto accident. If they are involved in an accident, there are a lot of factors to deal with. The first step should be to consult with and then hire an auto accident lawyer. A car accident lawyer will work on preventing the accident from affecting their lives, as well as ensure that you get just compensation for the accident and any damages done to the vehicle.