Steven A. Bagen | April 2, 2025 | Car Accidents

What to Expect After a Car Accident

After a car accident, expect those who are financially responsible for your accident-related damages to fight your case. They might try to undermine your case in several ways, from getting you to make self-damaging statements to pushing lowball offers to outright refusing to pay you.

You can expect plenty of stress and headaches from any insurance claims or lawsuits you pursue after the collision. You don’t need any more headaches. Allow a car accident attorney to take over your case so you can focus on healing from physical injuries, psychological trauma, emotional distress, and other hardships.

 

Challenges Car Accident Survivors Don’t Always Expect, But Should Be Prepared For

An honest attorney will tell you to expect challenges after your car accident. Those who have not been through a car accident might expect that liable parties—often including insurance providers—have to pay victims fairly. While liable parties are obligated to pay you, they may try to avoid doing so.

The tension between you and those who owe you compensation may be at the root of most post-accident challenges. You should be prepared for:

  • Immediate pressure to discuss your accident: Car accidents can cause brain injuries, disorient the survivor, affect their memory and recall, and prevent them from making reliable statements about the collision. Insurance companies and other liable parties may try to capitalize on a survivor’s confusion, in part by pressuring them to make statements about the accident before they are prepared to do so. 
  • Liable insurers to deny your claims: Insurance companies may seize any available excuse to deny an insurance claim. They may allege that a claim is inaccurate, accuse the claimant of missing a deadline, state that the policy does not cover the claimant, or cite other reasons for denial. If necessary, an attorney will appeal a claim denial for you.
  • Low settlement offers meant to tempt you: Car accidents are expensive. Liable parties do not typically want to pay for expensive losses. One tactic they may use to lessen their losses is tempting accident survivors with lowball settlements. You must have the restraint to reject lowball offers, and hiring a lawyer will help you avoid the temptation of quick (but unfair) settlements.
  • Insurers to contact you when you do not want them to: Most survivors simply want to rest and heal after the accident. When dealing with insurance companies, contacting them, and the other demands of a claim, healing can seem far more difficult. Let an attorney represent you with insurers so you can truly prioritize your recovery while maximizing your settlement results. 

Completing an insurance claim after a car accident is a challenge. The time and effort alone can be draining. Let a trusted car accident lawyer gather evidence, deal with insurance companies, and secure the settlement you are owed.

Let a car accident attorney help you. Whenever you have a life-changing crossroads in your life, call in a professional. An auto accident can be truly life-changing, and a lawyer will fight for a financial result that puts your life back on track.

Expect an Attorney to Protect and Serve You—You Just Have to Hire Them

Those who hire a car accident attorney can abandon the dread of dealing with insurance companies in favor of the hope of having an advocate on their side. Some of the most immediate benefits of hiring an auto accident lawyer are:

More Time for Rest and Medical Care

Just consider that a car accident survivor who suffers a spinal cord injury might need:

  • A period of hospitalization
  • Multiple surgeries
  • Spinal traction
  • Administration of steroids
  • Experimental treatments
  • Rehabilitation
  • Adaptive devices
  • Occupational therapy


This is not a complete list of the treatments one might need. Survivors with other injuries, such as TBIs, may need similarly extensive care. You may need to dedicate a large percentage of your time to your recovery, and hiring a lawyer should free up the time you need to tend to your health.

Greater Freedom to Seek Mental Health Treatment

There is a well-established link between car accidents and serious mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You may need extensive mental health treatment in the wake of your accident.

By letting a lawyer handle your case, you should have more time to pursue any mental health treatment that might help you.

Priceless Advice and Guidance at No Added Cost

Attorneys:

  • Listen
  • Share wisdom gained from handling other car accident cases
  • Lend advice meant to protect you and benefit your case
  • Are available whenever you have a question


Your lawyer’s advice and guidance will be included in their standard fee structure. Take full advantage of this resource, as there is no added cost for picking their brains, asking their advice, and relying on their guidance.

A Network of Resources at Your Fingertips

A lawyer is the ultimate resource for car accident victims. Not only will your attorney take your case off your hands, but they may also offer:

  • Mental health professionals
  • Medical professionals
  • An entire team of legal professionals who can answer your questions and update you about the case
  • The financial support necessary to build a successful claim or lawsuit


An attorney’s network of experts may be their greatest gift to you after the car accident. Having access to trustworthy, capable mental health experts and doctors is essential for recovery, and this access is one of many benefits an attorney will provide you.

Total Protection from Those Who Oppose Your Case

It remains to be seen whether insurance companies and any other liable parties will handle your claim honestly. Good faith from liable parties is never a guarantee for car accident survivors.

You can rest easier if you hire a car accident attorney to represent you. Lawyers recognize bad faith when they see it, do not tolerate anyone violating their client’s rights, and press forward regardless of how difficult liable parties make your case.

A car accident case can feel like a full-time job. That’s why you should hire someone whose job is securing compensation for victims of negligence like you. Your lawyer will:

Oversee Communications for You

Communicating with insurance companies and others participating in your case is necessary, but each conversation can be hazardous. By allowing your lawyer to handle communications, you will:

  • Not have to take time away from your recovery
  • Be able to make statements about your accident without worrying about making a mistake (which can cost you money)
  • Hear immediately when insurance companies have made a settlement offer or need you to take action—your attorney will let you know
  • Not be vulnerable to costly errors, such as being talked into a lowball settlement offer


Lawyers protect—it’s their job and their instinct. Handling communications with insurance companies and others involved in your case will be one way for your lawyer to protect you.

Update You Throughout the Case

You can recognize an excellent attorney through their proactive communication. You should expect to:

  • Receive frequent updates about your car accident case
  • Have direct access to your lawyer, likely through text, phone, and email
  • Have all your needs met through two-way communication with your lawyer and their team


Attorneys have empathy for their clients. They know you’re in unfamiliar circumstances and that prompt, consistent communication is the best way to ease your mind and calm your nerves.

Prove How the At-Fault Party Caused the Accident

Car accident lawyers prove who is at fault for their client’s damages. This means proving who caused the crash. Expect your lawyer to obtain and take advantage of all evidence that is relevant to your collision, such as:

  • Eyewitnesses’ recollection of the crash
  • Video (perhaps from traffic cameras, dash cameras, and security cameras)
  • Photographs of damage to your vehicle’s exterior 


One or more experts may even reconstruct how your accident happened. Your attorney may take a multi-faceted approach to prove who caused your crash.

It’s absolutely critical that your legal team proves the full and exact cost of your damages. When a car accident lawyer has extensive documentation of their client’s losses, they have every right to demand a fair settlement.

Medical bills and records, testimony from doctors and mental health professionals, receipts for vehicle repairs, and other types of documentation can prove the cost of your accident.

Determine Your Case Value and Pursue a Settlement

Your lawyer will determine how much compensation you deserve for your vehicle repairs, medical care, pain and suffering, and other damages. They will also:

  • Determine who owes you compensation—this can include one or more insurance companies, an at-fault motorist, and other liable parties
  • Compose settlement demands that explain, in sufficient detail, why you are entitled to the amount of money your lawyer is demanding
  • Be ready for contentious negotiations with liable parties, especially if liable parties are not negotiating in good faith


An experienced car accident lawyer understands that if liable parties are not negotiating in good faith, floating the possibility of a lawsuit can be helpful. Your attorney should not be bluffing—if those who owe you money aren’t willing to play ball, suing should be a realistic option for your legal team.

If you and your legal team decide to sue, go to trial, or take any other legal measures after the car accident, your lawyer will move forward without delay.

Expect Your Car Accident Lawyer to Demand Compensation for All of Your Damages

Of all the expectations you should have after a car accident, this one is certain: Your attorney will fight for compensation covering all your accident-related damages. Each accident survivor’s slate of damages is unique to them, but some common losses include:

Pain and Suffering

When you suffer injuries during a car accident, you might also suffer:

PTSD After a Car Accident
  • PTSD
  • Emotional anguish
  • Accident-related anxiety
  • Depression
  • Memory loss
  • Sleep problems
  • Diminished quality of life


Attorneys refer to these as non-economic damages because they do not have an objective financial value. This makes it even more important that you have a lawyer to calculate these damages, justify their calculation, and convince liable parties to cover the entire cost of your pain and suffering.

Healthcare Expenses

Your car accident attorney will secure invoices, speak with your doctors, and collaborate with medical experts. They will gain a comprehensive understanding of your injuries, treatment needs, and associated medical costs.

Because injuries and healthcare expenses are a vital feature of your case, your lawyer will not hesitate to rely on professionals with outstanding medical expertise.

Lost Income

Car accident survivors are fortunate to survive, but they are often in no position to work. Some are permanently disabled, while others just need time to heal before returning to their job. In either case, the survivor might face:

  • Lost income
  • Diminished earning capacity
  • Missed chances for bonuses and promotions
  • A slowing or decline in their professional progress
  • Lost benefits


Those who are unable to work might also suffer psychologically and emotionally because of it. Your lawyer will account for both the economic and non-economic costs of any work absence you face.

Disabling Conditions

If you suffer any physical, psychological, or emotional injuries that are disabling, you will likely face a greater cost because of it. Disabilities are a burden that your case value must reflect—your lawyer will ensure that it does.

Wrongful Deaths

If you lose a loved one from accident-related injuries, an attorney will demand justice for:

  • All affected parties’ pain and suffering
  • Funeral costs
  • Medical costs
  • Loss of consortium
  • Lost financial support 
  • All other damages


Trust an attorney to get the justice you deserve. Whether you’re healing, disabled, or mourning, your legal team will present a case whose magnitude matches your damages.

Expect a Deadline for Filing Your Car Accident Case—So Don’t Wait to Retain Your Attorney

If you or your loved one has been injured in a car accident, you should contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Most car accident cases have a strict filing deadline. Do not wait to hire your lawyer, as they need to start work on your case right away. Call today.