Should I hire a personal injury lawyer?

By Ben Sessions on January 2nd, 2022 in

Question: Should I hire a personal injury lawyer?

Answer: If you wish to obtain a recovery after you or someone that you care about has been injured and you hope to maximize your recovery, you should hire a personal injury lawyer. Unless you’re a lawyer, knowing what to do in order to get paid after an accident can be daunting. For example, the initial step after you have been injured is making sure that insurers are placed on notice of the incident so that they cannot later deny coverage. We have previously discussed the steps involved in placing liability insurers on notice of a claim and that first step can be difficult and time consuming in some cases. That step has absolutely nothing to do with whether you were hurt, but it can be a reason that you don’t get paid for your injuries if it is not satisfied. We tell you that so that you are aware that there are traps that you need to be aware of if you do not hire a personal injury lawyer.

We have tried to provide guidance for people attempting to handle their personal injury case without a lawyer. It is possible to obtain a recovery without a lawyer, but it is difficult for anyone without a lawyer to obtain the recovery that a skilled and experienced personal injury attorney can. If an insurer believes that you cannot or will not try the case to a jury, then they have very little incentive to offer a maximum amount to settle the case. Most people would like to settle their personal injury case as soon as possible for the maximum amount of money possible. One of the problems that they encounter though is that the insurance company on the other side of the case refuses to offer a fair settlement amount to resolve the case. This often happens even in cases where liability is not disputed. This is surprising for many people because they believe that if it is clear that the other party is at fault, then they believe that the insurance company must settle the case. Unfortunately, an insurer can defend a case solely on the basis that they do not believe that your injuries are worth “that much.”