Do You Need a Lawyer if You Crash While Speeding?

Car accidents are never any fun, but many people are not aware that they can also lead to secondary legal action being taken against you. This is particularly true if you were speeding when the accident occurred. Even if you didn’t cause significant harm to other people who were involved in the accident or expensive property damage, you can still be sued if you were speeding when the accident took place.

This article is part of our guide to other speed-related tickets in Kansas City.

If you have been in any kind of car accident, it is a good idea to work with a car accident lawyer to ensure that you are not going to be held liable for anything that is not your fault. There are lots of factors that are taken into consideration by insurance companies and potentially even a judge when car accidents take place. Having the support of a skilled legal team can make all the difference in the outcome of your case. Learn more about how a Kansas City speeding ticket affects your car insurance.

Do I Need a Lawyer if I was Speeding?

The answer is almost always yes if you were involved in a car accident when you were speeding. There could be many reasons that you were driving over the speed limit, but at the end of the day, the legal requirement for every driver on the road is that they follow the posted speed limit signs. When you have been caught speeding and your actions led to you getting into a car accident, you could be held liable for far more than just property damage or medical bills. See our guide to speeding tickets with no posted speed limit signs in Kansas City.

There are various kinds of speeding-related charges that you could be facing. It can be tough to navigate the result of being charged with speeding in relation to a car accident without legal counsel.

What Can a Lawyer Do For Me?

Your lawyer can help you with the following potential legal issues that could happen after you have been in a car accident:

1. Criminal Speeding or Reckless Driving

The legal threshold for criminal speeding varies from state to state. As a general rule of thumb, anything that is 20 mph or more over the posted speed limit will likely fall into this category. Criminal speeding is also considered to be in place if you are driving in a reckless manner, street racing, or driving well over the speed limit in vulnerable areas such as school zones. Read more about Missouri school zone speeding laws.

There are various serious fines and charges that can be combined with this accusation, and you will want to have a lawyer take a look at your case to help you to retain your driver’s license, avoid costly fees and penalties, and jail time. For help with your case, talk to a Kansas City traffic lawyer who handles speeding tickets.

2. Loss of Your Commercial Driver’s License

A CDL can be required for many different kinds of jobs, but reckless driving that involves speed or even just simple speeding can lead to the loss of this license. For most people, losing their CDL means losing their job. If you have a CDL and you have been accused of speeding in relation to a car accident, you need to secure legal counsel right away. See our guide to CDL speeding tickets in Kansas City.

3. You Have a High-Risk Driving Record

One of the factors that many people don’t think about when they believe that they do not need legal counsel for their case is that a high-risk record can lead to far more serious consequences. This is the case even if no one was hurt and there is limited property damage as a result of the accident that took place.

When you have prior accidents or charges on your record, you can be considered a high risk, and you will likely face steeper fines, longer periods of time with your license suspended, and other fines and charges. You will need to seek legal support immediately if you have other prior issues or accidents in your driving history. Read more about how many speeding tickets lead to a Missouri license suspension.

Why Can’t I Handle My Legal Case Myself?

There are various reasons that it is not typically wise to try to handle your speeding case on your own. Even if you are just looking at a first-time offense, you could easily be asked to submit to penalties and consequences that are not in keeping with the actual nature of the law for someone with your previous good driving history. You could find yourself facing serious consequences that could be avoided if a legal expert is working on your case.

If you have a prior history of driving too fast or other kinds of legal issues on your record, you shouldn’t try to go it alone. The insurance companies and the other parties who are involved in a car accident will have lawyers working on their case. You will find yourself outnumbered quite rapidly if you do not have your own lawyer protecting you from accepting unnecessary penalties and fines after the accident.

An Experienced Legal Team Can Make All the Difference

At the end of the day, most car accidents that involve speed will lead to the police being called to the scene. You may find that you are in far more trouble than you expected to be due to driving over the speed limit at the time of the accident. Don’t say anything incriminating at the scene of the crash and make sure to reach out to a legal team with experience in car accidents as soon as possible.

Having the right legal professional working on your case can help you to avoid unnecessary charges, fees, and fines and help you to protect your driving record as well. Your lawyer can offer you expert advice about what to do after you have been involved in an accident while you were speeding. The legal team that you hire can help you handle insurance companies or legal hearings, as well as provide support during the evidence-gathering process before settlement or trial. While it can be tempting to go it alone to save money after you have been in a car accident, if you were speeding at the time of the crash, you should seek legal counsel right away.