Many car accidents are serious enough that you benefit from having a car accident personal injury attorney handle your case. However, not every case has serious enough injuries and damages to make an attorney worth the cost.
The first situation where you probably don’t need an attorney is if you have no injuries. Perhaps you have a bump or bruise but nothing that requires more than Advil for two or three days. In this situation, you may not need an attorney.
Still, you should always go to the doctor to be checked out right after the accident. It’s possible that your bruised knee turns out to be ligament damage that requires surgery. We sometimes can underestimate our injuries after an accident, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Second, you might be the type of person that doesn’t want to go through the hassle of a claim or lawsuit. Perhaps you get in a fender bender and no one is hurt. You talk to the other driver and you both decide to let it go and handle it on your own.
Third, you may not need an attorney if you are familiar with the insurance negotiation game. Perhaps you work in the insurance industry and you know the details of your policy and how to haggle with an insurance adjuster. Working with an insurance company is one of the biggest benefits of a car accident personal injury lawyer.
Most people don’t have the skill or experience to do this effectively, but if this is in your wheelhouse, you may be able to get a good settlement without the attorney fees.
Fourth, many people are too busy with work and family to worry about a car accident claim. But if you are one of those people who has time on their hands – perhaps you’re retired – then you should feel free to pursue the claim on your own.
What attorneys do on accident claims isn’t physics; they have the skill and experience that comes from years of education and training. But you can certainly figure out how to do it well if you have the time.
To summarize, you may not need an attorney if your injuries are minor or if you have the time or ability to negotiate a deal with the insurance company. But it never hurts to check with an attorney anyway to see if you have a case.
