It can be very stressful to get notice that someone is pursuing a claim against you in an automobile accident case. There are several important things you should consider when that happens. First and foremost, be sure that you have reported the accident to your auto insurer. If you are a Massachusetts or Rhode Island resident, your insurance carrier has a duty to appoint an attorney to represent you in an actual lawsuit providing you have properly reported your accident.

Another important consideration is how much insurance coverage you have. If you do not have adequate coverage, your personal assets can be at risk. In that type of situation, it may make a lot of sense to retain counsel independent of the attorney appointed by your insurance carrier. That is because there is a conflict of interest between you and the insurance carrier – they are concerned with minimizing their loss on the case, not with protecting you.