At least once each week I have a conversation with someone who asks me if they really need to hire an attorney to resolve their personal injury claim. The answer is that it depends entirely upon the seriousness of the injuries and the complexity of the claim.
By way of an analogy, my 24-year-old son recently learned how to change a burned out headlight in his car by watching a U-tube video that described how to do this. Although I had never replaced a car’s headlight myself, this turned out to be a relatively simple task that most people could figure out how to do with a little patience.
Despite my son’s new found confidence in automotive repairs, I would strongly advise him not to attempt a more complex repair such as changing the struts in the suspension of his car. In fact, I’ve known of a few cases where people have accidently dropped a car on themselves while working underneath it, with very unfortunate results!
In the same way, if a person has been in an accident where fault is not disputed, there are only minor injuries with only one or two medical visits, and the injured person is now completely well with no residual physical problems, such a person probably doesn’t need an attorney to represent them in their claim. Rather, they should just send the relevant insurance company a copy of their accident related medical bills and records, proof of any loss of income that they may have experienced, and make a request for settlement that they feel is fair. In many instances, claims that are worth less than $5,000 can be resolved without the need to hire an attorney.
However, even with small claims, many people do call me back later and report that the insurance company has offered them a ridiculously low figure for their claim, such as their medical expenses, plus a whopping $100. The unfortunate truth is that many insurance companies don’t have a goal of paying people a fair or reasonable amount for their claim, but only as little as possible. They do this because they know that a large percentage of people will simply give up and take what is offered. In such a case, it usually takes an attorney who is experienced in personal injury law to get a reasonable settlement offer.
If you’ve been injured in a serious accident, hiring an attorney who knows what questions to ask can make all the difference regarding what financial recovery you will receive. Please call the offices of Indiana Personal Injury Attorney James Ludlow, Attorney at Law at 1-877-897-9466 or submit the simple form on the Contact Us page for a free case evaluation and put my experience and knowledge to work for you.
