Do you really need a lawyer to work on your personal injury cases? No, says Liberty Law. The average person can handle their own personal injury claims if they aren’t too complicated. All you need is basic knowledge of how accident claims work, organization skills, and a lot of patience. If you can work through it on your own, you won’t have to deal with an unruly insurance company later too. Depending on how minor your losses are, you can work the law in your favor and gain more compensation in the end because lawyer fees will not be an issue.
What Types of Claims Can You Handle?
The common claims you can handle on your own include car accidents, bike accidents, and pedestrian accidents. Slipping, tripping and falling at home or on the road are also minor enough to handle on your own. You can also go it alone if you suffered a minor injury from a bad product you were using. Now, you shouldn’t just take for granted that all personal injury claims can be handled on your own.
There are times when you need a lawyer to help you get the most out of your case. Serious accidents that result in trips to the hospital and possible disability are examples of these. If you weren’t hurt badly and you didn’t lose a lot in terms of damages, representing yourself might be a good choice, as long as you feel confident enough to do so.
Personal Injury Claims are Simple
While lawyers who want your money will try to convince you otherwise, personal injury claims are actually among the easiest to handle and settle. You typically won’t have to do much other than writing a few letters and making some calls to an insurance negotiator. Most of the people you talk to won’t know anything about the legal part of the proceedings, so you won’t even need technical knowledge.
Claims are Paid Out Procedurally
You aren’t paid at random for your claims. The amount you are paid is the product of a complicated, but structured, calculation that takes into account the details of your accidents, the injuries that resulted from it, as well as your medical costs in the end. Whether or not you employ a lawyer, the overall claim will be just about the same.
You’re the Only One Who Knows Your Claim
Since you were the person involved in the accident, you’re the person with the best knowledge of what happened. At the end of the day, you were present, and they weren’t. You know exactly how you suffered, what you suffered from, and what caused it. Use this to your advantage to gain the upper hand in a claim settlement negotiation.
Remember that hiring a lawyer is never a bad idea. It just makes more sense to do things on your own at times. That said, try to keep a lawyer on hand if you ever need backup, such as if your claim is challenged in court.