Do I Need to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer if I'm Not Injured?

Do I Need to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer if I’m Not Injured?

Attorneys clarify when to hire a personal injury lawyer if you were not injured in an accident.

Summary

• You don’t necessarily need to hire a car accident lawyer in Florida if you didn’t suffer any injuries in the crash.
• Hiring a personal injury lawyer if you’re not injured may make sense if you later discover you’re hurt, a passenger suffered injuries, your car sustained damage, there are disagreements about liability, etc.
• Even if you’re not hurt, a Florida personal injury attorney can assist with your case in many different ways, including advising you of your legal options and negotiating with insurance companies.

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Contacting an attorney if you were hurt in a car accident is the sensible thing to do, but you may wonder, “Do I need to hire a personal injury lawyer if I’m not injured?” Below, we’ll address whether a car accident lawyer is necessary if there is no injury.

As experienced personal injury attorneys, our team at Jones Law Group can offer you the quality legal representation you need to seek fair compensation. We are here to support you in bringing a claim against the negligent driver’s insurance company after a Florida car accident, or even taking a car accident lawsuit to court. 

Contact our team at (727) 571-1333 or use our contact form to schedule a free consultation.

Hiring a Car Accident Lawyer for No Injury Cases

There were 394,826 auto accidents in 2023 in the state of Florida. An estimated 252,217 caused injuries, and 3,419 were fatal, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. That still leaves a substantial number of car accidents where no one was hurt.

Generally, it’s unnecessary to hire a Florida personal injury lawyer if the crash didn’t cause you physical or emotional harm. However, there may be some situations that warrant hiring a car accident lawyer even though you have no injury.

Reasons Why You May Need a Personal Injury Lawyer Even if You Are Uninjured

• In case injuries have a delayed onset: Accident victims often believe a wreck didn’t hurt them immediately following a crash. However, serious injuries, like brain bleeds, may have delayed symptoms. Thus, you may need to hire an attorney if your health condition changes post-collision to deal with sizable medical bills.
• If a passenger suffered catastrophic injuries in the crash: Hiring a car accident attorney may be unnecessary if you didn’t suffer injuries. However, it may be essential if one of your passengers, like a child or spouse, did. Minors, for example, cannot enter into contracts. You, as their parent, may need to sign the representation agreement yourself on their behalf.
• Your property sustained significant damage: If your car or property sustained damage in the crash, contact a personal injury lawyer. They can help you recover compensation to make necessary repairs or recover your losses.
• Liability determinations don’t go as anticipated: Florida is a no-fault state. You’d typically tap into your own personal injury protection (PIP) to pay for your crash-related losses. However, if your losses exceed that coverage amount, you may need to file a claim with the other driver’s insurer. Securing a settlement may be challenging if you two see liability differently.
• There are bad faith insurance practices at play: Delays in processing or failing to investigate claims thoroughly are both examples of underhanded tactics insurers engage in to avoid paying on potentially viable car crash claims — even ones where no one was hurt.

In all of the situations above, someone, like a motorist involved in a crash, may initially believe getting a car accident lawyer is unnecessary since there are no injuries. However, their health status may change, or there may be other situations where getting an attorney involved makes sense.

What Is the Role of a Personal Injury Attorney in Florida Auto Accident Claims?

If you’re wondering why you hire a personal injury lawyer even if you’re not injured, it comes down to the guidance and support they can provide. For example, here at Jones Law Group, we regularly assist clients with the following:

• Advising them of their rights, specifically as it relates to how what they say and do when speaking with insurers and other factors that can impact an auto collision case
• Gathering evidence necessary to make liability determinations
• Advising clients of laws applicable to motor vehicle accident cases
• Detailing legal options for recovering compensation for victims’ losses, such as property damage
• Negotiating settlements with insurance adjusters
• Identifying when insurers are indeed engaging in insurance bad faith and letting them

The list above is far from exhaustive. However, it provides some insight into a car accident lawyer’s role, even when clients report no injury at the onset. Thus, even if you haven’t suffered any apparent physical and emotional harm in a crash, a legal representative can still be of value to you in your case.

Seeking the Assistance of a Car Accident Lawyer if No Injury Is Apparent

The aftermath of a personal injury incident like an auto collision can be a bit overwhelming to deal with. Even if you don’t have car accident injuries, you may have a vehicle that needs repairs or is completely totaled. 

You may need to have an adjuster check it, run over to a mechanic, or visit a rental car company. Other errands may include a trip to an auto dealer and governmental tag and title agencies to buy a new car, register it, and get a license plate for it. Another potential scenario is that a loved one was hurt in the car crash even though you were not. 

Either way, you will likely need to file an insurance claim. That may mean lengthy communications with an insurance company, especially if the insurer is denying liability or acting in bad faith. You’ll likely be spending a lot of time on the phone, trying to get answers and resolutions.

All of these responsibilities can become time-consuming, stressful, and expensive. Personal injury lawyers can help shoulder some of the burdens of handling a car accident with no injuries.

Discuss Your Case With Jones Law Group to See if You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer

The issues mentioned above are just a few examples of when bringing a car accident lawyer on board to help in your no-injury case, which may make a lot of sense. Speaking with our firm’s expert personal injury lawyers about your crash is free. We are diligent and honest representatives.

Give us a call at (727) 571-1333 or use our contact form to reach out to Jones Law Group today. We’ll schedule a meeting with an attorney to discuss your crash and the legal rights Florida law affords you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if my accident-related losses exceed my or another driver’s insurance policy limits?

Florida law only requires drivers to purchase a minimum of $10,000 per accident in both PIP and property damage coverage. If your losses exceed those amounts, that’s when looking at the policy documentation for another party or even considering pursuing other legal remedies may make sense.

Can I recover any compensation if I contributed to causing a crash?

The pure comparative negligence doctrine applies in our state, which is described in Florida Statutes Section 768.81. This means that even if you are eligible to secure a settlement, any amount you receive may be reduced by your percent of fault for the collision. So, while you may still be able to recover compensation, it may be less than your actual damages.

What happens if I discover I have injuries after settling my case?  

Generally, insurance claims cannot be reopened. However, situations where there are typos in the settlement documents, no check received yet, and others where you may not be yet subject to the terms of the waiver of all claims or be able to reopen a closed claim.