Q: Would a lawyer be able to help me?
I was in a car accident today, It was the other drivers fault as she ran a red light. My car is financed and i very good condition and low mileage but over 10 years old. Based on what i was being told my car is likely to be totaled (It has not been estimated yet) because of its age. The thing is, the car is my only form of transportation and with it being a financed car the insurance will likely pay off my loan and thats it (based on what i was told). Which would cost me my job and everything else following that. I'm trying to avoid this, as the damage based on what i could see is less than 50% of the cars total value. But if this is the case i want to make sure i am covered and will be able to get another car. This happened in Virginia. Would getting a lawyer sooner be able to assist in covering me? No injuries.
A: A Virginia attorney could advise best, but your question remains open for two weeks. It's possible a lawyer might not be able to do much. It looks like the insurance has conceded liability in your favor, 100% against the other vehicle. In terms of the threshold for totaling out the car, nationwide those are generally established by state guidelines or insurance company practices. But these are only some generalities. The most reliable and definitive way to answer your question could be to set up a consult with an attorney to review the file - financing, insurance coverage, estimate from collision shop, property loss adjuster's report, how close to the threshold for declaring a total loss your car is, and other factors. You could ask attorneys for a consult to determine if it is worth your time and their time for a law firm to get involved. That could enable you to make the best decision, better than is possible in the limited scope of a Q & A forum. Good luck
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