Hiring a Fall River auto accident attorney is not easy. There is a huge pool of personal injury lawyers that have handled car accident cases successfully and the plaintiff got the compensation that they deserve. However, there are a few unethical lawyers that create a bad rep for genuine personal injury lawyers. These types of lawyers are more commonly known as ambulance chasers.
It’s crucial to consider several factors before hiring a personal injury lawyer. You will want a lawyer who is:
- Experienced
- Available
- Compassionate
- Respects his peers
- Has a good reputation
If you are a victim of a car accident in Fall River, MA, it can be quite stressful to deal with medical bills, insurers, and even doctors and still have time to look for a lawyer.
Ambulance chasers know how frustrating it can be and so they take advantage of unsuspecting personal injury victims. It’s very easy to fall for their antics because they prey on confused car accident victims.
This leaves you with very little time to think through your decisions. Additionally, since they pose as people who offer quick solutions it might be easy for you to accept their offers. Unfortunately, ambulance chasers only care about making money and do not care about getting the maximum amount of compensation for your injuries.
We will discuss how to identify ambulance chasers, how they handle car accident claims, and what steps you should take should you encounter one.
What the Law Says About Ambulance Chasers
Attorneys are heavily regulated in every state. In fact, every state has its own bar organization that ensures lawyers behave in an ethical manner.
What are Lawyers Prevented from Doing?
All lawyers must follow strict rules regarding how they talk to their clients. This also includes the messages that they send out to the public in ads, personal solicitations, and mailings. They are also prevented from:
- Paying a finder’s fee i.e paying people who aren’t lawyers for getting them new clients
- Promising certain outcomes such as an exact amount for your auto accident claim
- Claiming to specialize in certain areas of the law without proper certification
- Try to obtain clients from in-person contact except under special circumstances.
The above rules explain what ambulance chasers do and there are many more rules that apply to lawyers.
How Do Ambulance Chasers Break the Rules?
The first rule that ambulance chasers break is the solicitation of clients. What happens is that the auto accident lawyer has a “capper” who gets information about auto accidents from sources such as police scanners. The capper is also known as an investigator and once they have all the informatio aboout the car accident victim, they will visit them in hospital to offer a “free case evaluation”. Technically, the free evaluation is just a pitch to get the victim to hire an auto accident attorney that the capper recmomends.
Auto accident attorneys in Fall River, MA, do offer free case evaluations but that request should come from the accident victim. A legit auto accident lawyer will never directly contact a car accident victim to pitch their services.
How an Ambulance Chaser Can Hurt Your Case
All attorneys are obligated to act in the best interest of their clients. Ambulance chasers on the other hand prioritize their own needs over that of their clients. They might persuade you to settle your own case as opposed to getting you the maximum possible amount of compensation.
For instance, your injury settlement could be worth $500, 000 but in order for you to get this amount, you might need to go to trial. Going to trial requires the use of resources and it takes time. An ambulance chaser isn’t willing to go through all that trouble so they will opt for the easy way out. In this case, the easy way out would be to persuade you to take the first offer you’re given even if it won’t be the compensation that you deserve. They will then take a portion of your settlement to pay themselves ad move on to the next case.
How to Avoid Unethical Auto Accident Attorneys in Fall River, MA
Always do thorough research on any auto accident attorney you plan to hire. Start by checking their profiles in your local state bar organization.
If you do your research but still find yourself working with an unethical car accident attorney, file a complaint with your local bar organization, fire them or do both.
