What Distinguishes Car Accident Cases From Personal Injury Law?
Given how common it is for a car accident attorney to work mostly on those types of claims and lawsuits, you might wonder who this is distinct from personal injury law. In the strictest sense, there isn't much difference between what a personal injury attorney does versus anything involving a car accident injury attorney.
What's the difference, then? These three things distinguish the two fields of law.
Specific vs. General
Personal injury practice is seen as the more general of the two. Car accident law is a subdomain of injury law.
It's not uncommon for a personal injury attorney to narrow in on a handful of different types of cases. Even if they don't start their career meaning to do so, a lawyer will usually find they have a knack for something specific. For some, that ends up being car accident claims and suits.
Likewise, there are a lot of accidents in America. That makes for a steady stream of work for any lawyer who focuses on accident law.
Vehicle Crash Physics
Although the physics involved in nearly any injurious occurrence can be frightening, vehicle accidents are often especially brutal. Consider that one of the first advocates for seatbelt laws for cars was a military doctor, Col. John Stapp, who had handled many of the earliest crash tests for rocket planes. He became an advocate after realizing just how closely the damage from an aerial crash mirrored what would happen when a car struck a wall or another vehicle.
It is one thing to have a sense of the physics of a car accident, but it's another to tie the ideas together with injury law. While describing an accident as egregious can be legally compelling, a car accident attorney still must show how the events prove a defendant's liability. That often requires going through police reports, first responders' statements, videos, and even tangled wrecks to draw a line from an at-fault driver's actions and what happened.
Insurers
Car insurance is one of the most common forms of insurance around. The plus is a defendant will probably have insurance. On the downside, that means a victim will likely have to work through a very specific process. The insurer will appoint a claims adjuster who will review the incident, and they'll propose a settlement if everything checks out.
However, there may be a gap between what you know you deserve and what the adjuster proposes. A car accident attorney can help you to explain your case to the insurance company. If necessary, they can assist you with negotiations or even suing.
