Reasons Why Your Car Crash Claim May Not Qualify

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Lori Polemenakos

Wondering why your car crash claim didn’t qualify after you filled out LegalASAP’s free evaluation form? It has everything to do with one or more of the answers you gave us while requesting your case review. We’ll list the most common reasons why your car crash claim might not qualify for compensation or legal assistance below.

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Reason #1: Your State’s Statute of Limitations Already Expired for Filing a Car Crash Claim

Every state sets a deadline for people who wish to file a car crash claim for compensation. State law determines this deadline, otherwise known as the statute of limitations, and it’s usually two years.  Some states give you less time, a few others give you more – but once it passes, we cannot help you. Legally, you cannot receive compensation for a car crash claim already past the statute of limitations in your state.

Reason #2: You Don’t Have Any Medical Bills From Your Accident

This should be obvious, but you need medical evidence in order to prove your auto accident injured you. Sure, you may wish to file a claim for property damage alone. Maybe the other driver doesn’t have insurance, and you want to sue the individual for damages. However, LegalASAP attorneys don’t provide free car crash claim reviews unless you sustained a physical injury from your accident. LegalASAP is simply a service that helps connect consumers with local attorneys and educate the public about their legal options.

Reason #3: You’re the At-Fault Driver Responsible for the Accident

If you are the at-fault driver that caused your accident, then LegalASAP cannot help you. It doesn’t matter if you have injuries, too. The lawyers in our network do not accept cases from drivers responsible for causing auto accidents.

Reason #4: You Cannot Determine Who Is Liable for Your Damages

This is an unusual and unlikely situation, to be honest. If your injury comes from a hit-and-run, you at least need witnesses, photos, or video to pursue your case. When you have no idea who drove the vehicle that hit you, then lawyers cannot name a defendant. Without a defendant, your car crash claim has no legal merit and cannot qualify for a cash settlement. However, if your injury comes from a defective vehicle, airbag recall or similar issue, you may still have a valid claim.

Reason #5: You Already Have a Lawyer Handling Your Car Crash Claim

Some people do request a free car crash claim evaluation, despite having legal assistance already in place. Maybe you expect to see a specific dollar amount when you submit your information. Or maybe you want to fire the lawyer you have now and hire a different attorney. Whatever your reasons, unfortunately, we cannot help you if you already have an auto accident lawyer helping you. That’s because you likely signed a retainer and fee agreement when you hired your current lawyer. Those documents are contracts, and LegalASAP isn’t willing to break them on your behalf. We’re sorry, but our network of attorneys cannot provide you with a free car crash claim review at this time.

Reason #6: We Cannot Match You With Any Nearby Auto Accident Attorneys At This Time

Maybe we simply don’t have any lawyers available in your ZIP code to review your car crash claim right now. It’s also possible that there are few, if any, auto accident attorneys accepting new clients or giving prospects free consultations. This means it’s not necessarily true that your car crash claim didn’t qualify, for whatever reason. Instead, LegalASAP simply cannot help you with your legal issue right now. While we hate when this happens, we still want you to get help – even if we can’t provide it!

  1. Are your medical bills less than $1,500? If so, you may have better luck taking the other person to small claims court. That’s the lowest “maximum payout” amount for any state’s small claims court system. However, most states have small claims court payouts that range from $3,000-$15,000. Tennessee’s limit is $25,000, but $5,000 is the max in more than half of U.S. states.
  2. Check the responsible party’s car insurance policy to see if it covers your losses. In certain states, it doesn’t matter which driver is liable for your car crash claim. Those are called “no-fault” states, so check to see if this applies to your case.

Ready to see if you may qualify? Complete your free online auto accident case evaluation now!

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Lori Polemenakos is Director of Consumer Content and SEO strategist for LeadingResponse, a legal marketing company. An award-winning journalist, writer and editor based in Dallas, Texas, she's produced articles for major brands such as Match.com, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Xfinity, Mail.com, and edited several published books. Since 2016, she's published hundreds of articles about Social Security disability, workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, personal injury, mass tort, auto accident claims, bankruptcy, employment law and other related legal issues.