How Soon After a Car Accident Should I Call a Personal Injury Attorney?

If you are injured in a car accident, there are a number of things you can do to add to your growing to-do list. For example, it is imperative to see a doctor and you may need to find someone to cover you at work. You will also need to arrange alternative transportation until your vehicle is repaired or replaced.

In other words, calling a personal injury attorney is probably the last thing on your mind. However, once your condition stabilizes, it should be the first.

The sooner you call an experienced attorney, the sooner you can start building your claim – and the sooner you can potentially get a payout back for the damages involved. Let’s take a look at some of the top reasons to call a lawyer right away after a wreck:

1. Essential evidence can be time sensitive

Calling a lawyer immediately after the accident gives your legal team a chance to gather time-sensitive evidence that could otherwise be altered or destroyed. Examples are black box data and scene surveillance material.

Eyewitness testimony is also considered time-sensitive, as memory becomes less and less reliable over time. Therefore, your attorney wants to receive testimony from those who witnessed the crash as soon as possible.

2. The case can be more complicated than expected

If you’ve been met by someone texting and driving, it probably seems pretty easy to prove liability. You can easily compare the distracted driver’s cellphone logs with the date and time of the accident.

What if his carrier refuses to release these logs without a subpoena? If this turns out to be the case, it could take weeks or even months for them to work together.

No matter how simple your claim appears on the first day, legal proceedings are inherently unpredictable. In addition, the resolution almost always takes longer than expected. Calling an attorney right away will not affect your legal strategy with unexpected delays or uncooperative parties. Instead, you have plenty of time to keep track of the payout that you are making.

3. You have limited time to proceed with the lawsuit

In Minnesota, the standard statute of limitations for personal injury is six years. However, since there are a number of exceptions to this rule, if you assume you have plenty of time, don’t put off calling a lawyer. For example, if a government agency was ultimately responsible for the wreckage that injured you, you only have 180 days to initiate the process.

Call 320-259-5414 to discuss your case with an auto accident attorney in St. Cloud

If you’ve been hit by a reckless driver, contact Bradshaw & Bryant. We understand the devastating effects unexpected injuries can have on your physical, emotional, and financial well-being. Because of this, we will use all the resources we have at our disposal to help you get the compensation you deserve. Call 320-259-5414 or use our online contact form to schedule a free case assessment with a St. Cloud auto accident attorney.