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When Should You Contact a Lawyer for a Car Injury?

March 31, 2025

In the immediate aftermath of a crash, it may be difficult to know if you should contact a lawyer for a car injury. But when you get injured in a car accident, making informed decisions is critical. In this scenario, not only do you need to take care of getting your car repaired (or replaced), but you also need to take care of yourself. Car injuries can often have long-term physical and psychological effects, and their costs can add up very quickly. Making informed decisions starts with contacting a lawyer who can help you. 

So, when should you contact a lawyer for a car injury?

You Should Contact a Lawyer About Your Car Injury As Soon As Possible

The short answer is that you should contact a lawyer about your car injury as soon as possible. There is no reason to wait, and there are several reasons to speak with a lawyer immediately after you have been injured in a collision. While many people believe that they should wait until they run into issues with the insurance companies to seek help, this is not the case. The sooner you hire a lawyer, the more your lawyer can do to help you. 

Why You Should Contact a Lawyer As Soon As Possible 

Why should you contact a lawyer immediately after a car accident in Illinois? Here are just some of the reasons why you should speak with a lawyer as soon after your collision as possible: 

1. Making Sure You Don’t Say the Wrong Thing to the Insurance Companies 

If you are entitled to financial compensation for your injuries from a car accident, you need to be very careful to make sure you don’t say the wrong thing to the insurance companies. The insurance companies will be looking for anything they can use to deny your claim—including your own words. 

Once you hire a lawyer for a car injury, your attorney can deal with the insurance companies for you. By relying on your lawyer to communicate on your behalf, you can ensure that you don’t say anything the insurance companies can use against you. 

2. Making Sure You Understand How Much You Are Entitled to Recover 

One of the biggest mistakes you can make after suffering injuries in a car accident is settling your claim before you know how much you are entitled to recover. Car injuries can lead to substantial economic and non-economic costs. 

You should not accept payment from the insurance companies until you know how much you are entitled to recover for your present and future medical bills, lost earnings, pain and suffering, and other losses. Determining what constitutes fair compensation for these losses requires experienced legal representation. 

3. Being Prepared to Deal with Any Allegations of Partial Fault 

Another tactic the insurance companies often use in car accident cases is to accuse victims of being responsible (or at least partially responsible) for their own injuries. The reason for this is that being partially at fault can reduce—and in some cases eliminate—the amount that victims are entitled to recover under Illinois law. By hiring a lawyer to investigate your car accident promptly, you can ensure that you are prepared to deal with any allegations of partial fault

4. Being Prepared to Assert Your Legal Rights Effectively 

From knowing how much you are entitled to recover to being ready for allegations of partial fault, promptly hiring a lawyer for a car injury is crucial to being prepared to assert your legal rights effectively. With an experienced lawyer on your side, you can be confident that you are making the right decisions for yourself and your family, and you can show the insurance companies that you are prepared to fight for your legal rights in court if necessary. 

5. Hiring a Lawyer for Your Car Injury Costs Nothing Out-of-Pocket

Finally, hiring a lawyer for a car injury costs nothing out-of-pocket. In other words, you have no reason not to contact a lawyer promptly. Your initial consultation is completely free, and you pay nothing unless you win. 

Even taking your legal fees into account, you could still take home significantly more with an experienced lawyer on your side. At Coplan + Crane, we are 100% transparent about our fees and the results we believe we can achieve for our clients, and we are more than happy to help you make an informed decision about how best to proceed. 

Contact Us for a Free Consultation with a Car Injury Lawyer Today 

Don’t face your injuries alone. You risk nothing by speaking with an attorney as soon as possible. At Coplan and Crane, we offer FREE initial consultations and we handle car accident cases on a contingency basis, which means you don’t pay unless we reach a favorable outcome in your case. 

Contact Coplan + Crane today online or at 312-982-0588 to schedule a FREE case evaluation. We help clients across Illinois, including Chicago, Oak Park, Rockford, and other areas.