If you or someone in your family has been injured in an auto accident, you may have asked yourself, "Do I need a lawyer?" Mashney Law Offices attorneys stand ready to represent you.

It is a common and often costly mistake to assume that because you have insurance coverage you will not need or benefit from legal advice from a lawyer experienced in personal injury.

Insurance companies know that few auto accident victims are familiar with auto accident law, proper auto accident injury care, or the details of their own insurance coverage.

The majority of insurance companies have a list of doctors with whom they work. These defense doctors have an interest in maintaining a lucrative working relationship with the insurance company, an interest that may not align with an accident victim’s best interests, care, and legal rights.

In such situations, some defense doctors may minimize the severity of an auto accident victim’s injuries. Insurance companies may attempt to disallow some types of treatment in favor of less expensive and less effective treatments in order to reduce their costs. Even in accidents cases involving serious or catastrophic injury, an insurance company almost always disputes the cause of the injury and the necessity and extent of medical care continuing into the future.

Injured auto accident victims who attempt to negotiate without the benefit of legal advice from a licensed and experienced personal injury lawyer, after they have provided the insurance company with a recorded statement and been seen by an insurance company approved doctor, often discover that insurance companies are more interested in receiving premiums and in minimizing the costs necessarily associated with claims than with paying the claims of injured auto accident victims.

The injured victim of an auto accident may be wise to think carefully before attempting to negotiate with an insurance company on his/her own. The expert advice of the lawyers of Mashney Law Offices, experienced in auto accident and personal injury law, can be of great benefit to an auto accident victim.

In California as in most other states, if you are involved in an auto accident, fault and liability must be determined before an insurance company will make a settlement payment. Fault and liability refer to responsibility. The individual who caused the accident through carelessness or negligence is at fault and is liable for any property damage and personal injuries that result from an auto accident. Liability may be shared in situations in which more than one person is at fault. Each individual’s settlement is likely to be based on his or her share of fault.

Auto insurance companies have deep pockets and teams of experienced and tricky claims adjusters and defense lawyers whose job it is to see that you get as little compensation as possible, a minimum payment, for your auto accident claim.

If you do not agree with an insurance company determination, Mashney Law Offices attorneys can file a lawsuit to recover additional damages, either for monetary damages, such as lost wages, or non-monetary losses, such as emotional distress, pain, anguish, loss of consortium, etc. Mashney Law Offices auto accident and personal injury attorneys have the knowledge, skill, ability, experience, expertise, and resources to represent you in your dealings with insurance companies.

Mashney Law Offices will work hard to see that you get the best settlement ethically and legally possible to compensate you for the damages, suffering, and losses you have incurred. For more information regarding auto accidents please visit http://www.MashneyLaw.com