A car accident can involve a mix of personal injuries and property damage. Severe injury cases can require hospital stays and emergency medical care. Milder injuries may cause pain and discomfort 
and a term of treatment. Personal injury attorneys gladly help with these types of personal injuries, and they receive compensation based on the amounts recovered. What of the damage to vehicles and loss of property?
A car accident attorney may wish to separate the injury portion of the case and leave a client to fend for him or herself to get money for the vehicle damage. We think this practice- called splitting a case- is unfair to the client and we do not split our cases.
Meeting the Client’s Needs
The practice of law permits a wide range of approaches to client care. Attorneys are free to set terms of representation and to inform the client of any limitations. The client rightfully expects the attorney to act in his and her best interest. To the client, there is no split between the injury and the vehicle damage claim.
From the injured victim’s view, splitting a case is unfair; it appears that the lawyer is acting in his or her interest rather than the client’s best interest. A client might be severely disadvantaged by physical injuries; people can also have problems due to the loss of a vehicle or the reluctance or refusal of insurance companies to pay.
Insurance Companies Can Take Advantage
Clients hire personal injury attorneys so that insurance companies will not take advantage of them. Attorneys are trained to deal with insurers and understand the obligations of insurance companies to work in good faith. When left alone to manage a property claim, insurance companies can take advantage of clients. A typical personal injury victim might not understand their legal rights and the duty of the insurer. With no attorney assistance, insurers might make low or unrealistic settlement offers.
Clients hire lawyers for the benefit of their advice and ability to resolve the issues in a case. Lawyers are trained to pursue a client’s interest vigorously within the bounds of the law. In our view, vigorous representation includes resolving issues of property damage that occurred in connection with the personal injury.
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Why Would Car Accident Attorneys Split Cases?
Personal injury lawyers perform valuable services for their clients and usually do not charge out-of-pocket fees. The attorney manages the injury case and gets payment from the amount of the jury award or settlement. Representation can involve every aspect of the case including investigations, collaboration with medical experts, and witnesses.
Vehicle damage is often important to the injury case. Attorneys often pay specific attention to the vehicles involved in an accident. Damage is an indication of the impact that caused the injury.
Today, clients can select a car accident attorney based on TV, social media, and radio advertising. Firms use advertising to attract clients and some ads are from firms that run national or regional campaigns but do not actually practice in North Carolina. The ads can direct the client to a national or regional firm that then sends the case to a local attorney.
In these referral arrangements, neither the local attorney nor the national advertiser gets paid for managing the property damage. Lawyers working in these fee-sharing arrangements often leave property damage to the client.
Call Us – We Can Help
In our view, a client with a lawyer for the injury case and no legal help for the property case is not well served. We listen to our clients and understand the matters that are important to them.
If your car accident attorney chooses to split your property damage from your injury claim, call us. We can help you get full, fair, and just compensation for your personal injury and property damage. Call us for a no-cost consultation today.
