Many of us have been there. You are driving to work, still working on your morning coffee. The music is playing, and you are mentally preparing yourself for your workday, perhaps contemplating lunch (if you're me!). You pass through a light and notice that just as you pass the crosswalk, the light turns yellow. No big deal, you are still - SLAM! Out of nowhere you are struck in the back right panel of your car, spinning you into the intersection. Your airbag goes off, pushing your head back into the seat, and your body is jarred as the car hits the curb and halts abruptly. You have just been in a car accident.

From here the story gets blurred. You step out of your car, immediately being screamed at and told that you were in the wrong for running the light (although you did not). The police arrive and decide that it is too close to call, and so they do not record the accident properly. You end up with whiplash and a minor spinal injury, tallying up thousands in medical bills if no serious injury. When you go to court, the other person's attorney attests that you ran the light, evidenced by the type of crash. You are rightly frustrated, and settle for a minimal fraction of what you deserve.

This story is all too common and entirely avoidable. The events of accidents are often out of our control: who, where, what, when, how, and why. What is in our control is to protect ourselves. After an accident in which you are injured, your first contact should be a car attorney attorney. While your insurance company will handle the damage claim on your car, the only way to ensure that your bodily interests are protected is to hire someone who specializes in doing so.

A well-trained and experienced personal injury attorney will fight for your rights in and out of court. You will not feel the strong arm of another person's legal defense team trying to force you to settle for less than you deserve. Additionally a car accident lawyer will be available to answer any questions you have at any time. This alone is worth the peace of mind it provides. Most charge reasonable rates that are often a fraction of what you will be awarded in court. Many will not charge at all if they are unsuccessful in your claim. Since you will receive more with an attorney than without, this results in a win-win situation for you, the victim.

Once you are injured, don't become stressed out by the paperwork and runaround of the legal system. Give your body the needed time to recover by allowing a trained professional to take care of your rights. Don't be the person in the beginning of the story; protect yourself with a personal injury attorney.