Can I Get a Settlement for a Car Accident without a Lawyer?

On This Page

1. You May Hire a Lawyer at No Upfront Cost
2. Your Lawyer Will Make Your Case for Compensation
3. Call Berger and Green Today

REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

February 02, 2024

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

You can get a settlement for a car accident without a lawyer, but the process could require substantial effort on your behalf. Handling a car accident claim or lawsuit on your own means that you may trust:

• Your understanding of the insurance process
• Your understanding of the legal process
• Your ability to conduct research related to insurance claims or lawsuits
• Your ability to determine the value of your past and future losses
• Your ability to negotiate with insurance companies or lawyers

There may be little downside to hiring a lawyer. A lawyer may have prior experience handling car accident claims and lawsuits and may handle yours at no upfront cost.

You May Hire a Lawyer at No Upfront Cost

Handling an insurance claim or lawsuit on your own may cost you in the form of time and effort. If you are injured or have recently lost a loved one, then throwing yourself into a lawsuit or insurance claim may make your injuries worse or interrupt the natural grieving process.

Cost should not be a reason for you to handle a claim or lawsuit on your own. Personal injury lawyers generally work for a contingency fee, which prevents you from having to pay for legal services from your own finances.

As the American Bar Association (ABA) explains, a contingency fee means that:

• Your lawyer will not receive any compensation unless they complete your case successfully
• You do not have to pay anything to your lawyer if they do not negotiate a settlement or win a judgment
• You face no upfront cost for attorney’s fees

Victims of car accidents may not be aware that hiring a lawyer comes at no direct cost. This could lead them to try and complete an insurance claim or lawsuit on their own when they may have otherwise hired a lawyer to handle their case.

The Potential Upside of Hiring a Lawyer

You may get a settlement for a car accident without a lawyer, but you also may not. While hiring a lawyer is no guarantee that your claim or lawsuit will be a success, a lawyer may provide you several benefits.

For one, hiring a lawyer may provide you time. Rather than having to spend your time drafting and filing documents, making phone calls and other inquiries, calculating your losses, and negotiating a settlement, a lawyer will handle these duties for you.

By hiring a lawyer, you may also avoid any hardship that you may experience from handling your lawsuit or insurance claim directly. As a lawyer deals with your case, you may be able to dedicate more time to your recovery, which may mean:

• Engaging in physical rehabilitation
• Resting
• Visiting with therapists or other counselors

If you lost a loved one in a car accident, you might benefit from not having to concern yourself with the details of a wrongful death lawsuit. The following are ways that a lawyer may act on your behalf:

• Interviewing witnesses
• Documenting your accident scene
• Documenting your economic losses
• Assigning a value to your non-economic losses
• Working with experts to recreate your accident
• Identifying all parties who owe you compensation
• Negotiating a settlement

If a trial is necessary in lieu of a successful settlement, your lawyer can handle the requirements of a trial from beginning to end.

Your Lawyer Will Make Your Case for Compensation

Car accidents happen in a variety of different ways. Generally, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) explains that a driver is at fault for causing an accident. Your lawyer will make the case that a driver and any other liable parties owe you compensation for your losses.

A lawyer may follow a similar argument blueprint for all defendants in your case. That case goes:

1. The defendant owed you a duty of care
2. By acting unreasonably, the defendant breached their duty of care
3. The defendant’s breach of duty of care contributed to your accident
4. Your accident has resulted in your losses

This duty of care standard may not apply to every defendant. Some defendants may be liable for other reasons, such as the nature of their relationship to a negligent party. For example, an employer could be responsible for an employee causing a car accident even if the employer did not obviously contribute to the accident.

Your lawyer will have a reason for naming parties as defendants in your lawsuit. For each specific defendant, your lawyer may:

• Identify the legal principle by which they are liable
• Support their argument with evidence
• Determine how much compensation the defendant owes you
• Negotiate with the defendant’s lawyer

You may be able to recover all of the compensation you deserve from one or more defendants.

Call Berger and Green Today

You may face a statute of limitations for your case, so do not wait to call a Pittsburgh lawyer’s team. Call Berger and Green today at (412) 661-1400 to find out how we may be able to seek compensation for you after a car accident.