I recently ran into a former personal injury client from a few years ago. When I asked how she was, she told me that she was actually in quite a bit of pain. It turns out that she was hurt in a car accident a few months ago. I was disappointed that she did not call me to represent her for this new accident so I asked if she was not satisfied with my representation last time. She said that she was very satisfied and wanted to call me again following this car accident but the driver of the vehicle she was in said that if they did not go to the same attorney there “was going to be problems.” This is not the first time that I have heard this misconception so I suppose it is worth writing a post here.
Following a serious car accident, it is not uncommon for several passengers to be in injured. Each passenger has rights to make a personal injury claim for damages. A common misconception, however, is that everyone in the vehicle needs to hire the same attorney to handle the case. This is absolutely incorrect! While there may be benefits to agreeing on a single attorney, there may be other reasons why separate attorneys would have a better result. If you are one of several passengers injured in a car crash, you have every right to hire the auto accident attorney of your choice, regardless of the choice made by the other passengers. Your decision will have no negative consequences and will not cause any delays.
In fact, there is one situation when it strongly benefits you to hire a different attorney than the other parties. That is, if you are a passenger in a vehicle and the driver of the car you are riding in is partially or totally at fault for the accident. One attorney can not adequately represent both parties because he may have a conflict of interest. In order to recover the full damages for your case, the attorney might have to admit that the driver (also his client) shares some negligence. Since the attorney also represents the driver, he can not and should not admit to his own client’s negligence, and this is why there is a conflict of interest. It is better for you to hire an attorney of your own choice who has only your best interests in mind.
The important thing to remember is that if you are injured in a motor vehicle accident with several other passengers, you have the right to choose your attorney. Hire an attorney with a good record of results and whom you trust. Hire an attorney who gives you personal attention and handles the case him or herself rather than one who leaves all of the work to his or her paralegal. If you are looking for that kind of attentive and aggressive attorney, contact my office for a free consultation. There is never any fee unless we recover money for you.