When Should You Contact a Lawyer After a Car Accident?

• July 19 2025
• |   Car Accidents

After a serious car accident, the thought of taking legal action can feel daunting and premature. You might believe that if you just follow the steps—exchange information, file a police report, and notify your insurance company—everything will work out. And sometimes, for very minor fender-benders with no injuries, it does.

But often, the path to recovery is far more complicated. The physical pain is just the beginning. You may face mounting medical bills, lost wages from time away from work, and the persistent emotional trauma of the event. This new reality is challenging enough without facing resistance from an insurance company. The question then becomes a critical one: When should I contact a lawyer?

The answer is often sooner than you think. While you may not need an attorney in the first few hours, there are several key moments and red flags that signal it’s time to seek professional legal guidance.

The Immediate Signal: You or a Passenger Suffered an Injury

This is the most straightforward reason to consult with an attorney. If the accident resulted in any kind of physical injury—from seemingly minor whiplash to catastrophic harm—you should speak with a lawyer.

Injuries complicate matters exponentially. Your focus should be on healing, not on trying to calculate the long-term cost of your recovery. An experienced personal injury attorney can help you understand the full scope of your potential needs, which may include:

• Future Medical Expenses: A serious injury may require ongoing treatment, physical therapy, prescription medications, or even future surgeries. These costs are difficult to predict on your own.
• Lost Earning Capacity: If your injury prevents you from returning to your job or forces you into a lower-paying role, you are entitled to compensation for that loss of future income.
• Pain and Suffering: The physical pain and emotional distress caused by an accident are real, recognized damages. Placing a fair value on this non-economic loss is something a legal professional is equipped to handle.

Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize these figures. They may offer a quick, low settlement that covers your immediate emergency room bill but fails to account for the long road of recovery ahead. An attorney acts as your advocate to ensure your long-term well-being is fully considered.

The Warning Sign: Fault is Unclear or Being Disputed

In a perfect world, the at-fault driver would admit responsibility. In reality, this is rare. The other driver may blame you, or their story might change when they speak to their insurance company. The police report might be ambiguous or contain inaccuracies.

When liability is contested, the insurance company for the other party has an immediate reason to deny or devalue your claim. They will use this uncertainty to their advantage. A lawyer can launch an independent investigation into the accident, gathering evidence that may have been missed. This can include:

• Interviewing witnesses.
• Obtaining traffic camera or surveillance footage.
• Hiring accident reconstruction experts to analyze the scene.
• Reviewing police reports and driver statements for inconsistencies.

Establishing clear fault is the foundation of a successful personal injury case. If there’s any doubt, a lawyer can protect you from being unfairly blamed for an accident you did not cause.

The Major Red Flag: The Insurance Company Is Behaving Unfairly

This is perhaps the most crucial reason to seek legal counsel, and it speaks to a fundamental truth about the insurance industry. Insurance companies are for-profit businesses. While they may present themselves as your friendly neighbor, their primary goal is to protect their bottom line by paying out as little as possible.

You should contact an attorney immediately if you experience any of the following tactics from either your own or the other driver’s insurance company:

• A Low, Quick Settlement Offer: This is a classic strategy. The adjuster offers you a check right away, often before the full extent of your injuries is known. They hope you’ll take the money and sign away your right to any future compensation.
• Unreasonable Delays: Is the adjuster ignoring your calls? Are they taking weeks or months to process simple paperwork? These delay tactics are often intentional, designed to frustrate you into giving up or accepting a lower offer.
• Requests for Unnecessary Information: If an adjuster is demanding access to your entire medical history, unrelated to the accident, it’s a red flag. They are likely fishing for a pre-existing condition they can use to deny your claim.
• Pressure to Give a Recorded Statement: You are not obligated to give a recorded statement to the other party’s insurance company. Adjusters are skilled at asking leading questions designed to get you to say something that undermines your case. It is wise to consult an attorney before ever agreeing to one.
• Misrepresenting the Policy: An adjuster might tell you that certain damages aren’t covered by the policy when, in fact, they are.
• Denying Your Claim Without a Valid Reason: If your claim is denied with a vague or nonsensical explanation, it is a clear sign that the insurer is not acting in good faith.

These actions are not just poor customer service; they can be signs of bad faith insurance practices. Attorneys who have a deep understanding of insurance law recognize these tactics immediately and know how to counteract them effectively.

Other Important Scenarios

You should also consider contacting a lawyer if:

• The at-fault driver was uninsured or underinsured. In these cases, you may need to make a claim against your own insurance policy’s Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. This can create an adversarial relationship with your own insurer, and having a lawyer to navigate the process is essential.
• The accident involved multiple parties. Chain-reaction collisions or accidents involving commercial trucks or rideshare vehicles can be incredibly complex. Determining the percentage of fault for each party requires a level of legal and investigative skill that goes far beyond a typical car accident claim.

Your Advocate in a Difficult Time

After a car accident, you deserve to focus on what matters most: your health, your family, and your recovery. You should not have to fight a battle against a multi-billion-dollar insurance corporation and its team of experienced lawyers and adjusters. Leveling the playing field is not just an advantage; it’s a necessity.

At Leverty & Associates Law, we understand the immense stress and vulnerability you feel after an accident. Our firm is built on a bedrock of compassion for our clients and an unparalleled proficiency in insurance law. This focus gives our clients a distinct advantage. We know the playbook insurers use to deny and devalue valid cases because we have spent our careers fighting—and winning—against those very tactics.

With over 100 years of combined experience and more than $150 million recovered for our clients, our team-oriented approach ensures that you have a dedicated group of legal professionals in your corner. We are committed to open communication and providing an accurate, honest assessment of your case from the very beginning.

If you were injured in a car accident in Nevada and are facing a difficult insurance company, our caring, attentive, and hardworking Reno car accident lawyer will fight for you. We offer free consultations to help you understand your rights and options. Contact Leverty & Associates Law today at (775) 322-6636 in the Reno area to get the dedicated legal support you deserve.