If you've been involved in an auto accident, you may be faced with mounting bills for both your car and your medical care. While an insurance claim can help cover those costs, you may find you still come out behind. In those cases, a legal claim against the other driver will help you recover from the accident and repair your finances.

There are two types of claims to be made after an auto accident: property damage and personal injury. Property damage covers your car and, potentially, other possessions damaged in the crash. Personal injury covers medical bills, missed work, and other costs associated with your physical recovery. Depending on the details of your case, you may need to file one or both of these types of claims.

To give yourself the best chance of a win in court—and to avoid ending up on the wrong end of the other driver's claims—there are a few steps you can take to improve your case. First, don't admit fault in the accident, either at the scene or in a statement to the other driver's insurance provider. Even if you believe you were fully or partly at fault, you don't necessarily know how the other driver's actions affected the auto accident.

Next, document all the damage to your car and to yourself. Keep records of your medical treatment, take photographs of the damage, and keep the contact information of any witnesses. All of this will be used as evidence to back up your claim.

Finally, for the best chance of recovering your costs, hire an attorney with experience in similar personal injury cases. They can help you decide on an effective strategy, organize your claim, and argue your case in mediation or in court. The right lawyer can be the difference between a loss and a win.

If you were injured in an auto accident, turn to the team Carey & Hamner, P.C. in Dothan, AL. They offer quality, customized representation in personal injury, disability, and workers' compensation cases. Contact them today at (855) 435-4797 or online to discuss your case.