A personal injury case can be overwhelming for the average individual. But you cannot restrain yourself from filing a personal injury case since you need compensation to recover from the losses.
In addition, holding the negligent party accountable for the damages caused to you is important. Personal injury cases are complex and require the intervention of experienced personal injury lawyers.
People choose to file personal injury claims on their own since they can keep all the money they get. What they don’t know is that they will receive much less compensation if they file a claim alone. Insurance companies tend to lowball victims to make a profit. A personal injury lawyer can help the victims obtain fair compensation by countering the insurance companies’ strategies. A personal injury lawyer can guide you through the complex claim process.
Why You Should Not File a Claim Alone
Yes, you can file a claim alone. But just because you can, you shouldn’t. Personal injury cases involve many technicalities, and even a small mistake can cost you the case. Here are five reasons you shouldn’t file a claim on your own:
- Low Compensation
- Miscalculation of Losses
- Dealing with Insurance Adjusters
- Gathering Evidence
- Lack of Legal Guidance
Low Compensation
The biggest consequence of not hiring a lawyer for your personal injury case is that you will receive relatively less compensation than you deserve. When you receive low compensation, it can affect you in the long term since you will be paying out of your pocket to cover your losses.
Remember, insurance adjusters are trained to lowball victims and have years of experience with it. You can strategize against them only with the help of experienced lawyers.
Miscalculation of Losses
Calculating losses is a huge part of any personal injury case. The victim must calculate all their losses and claim the right amount. Claiming too low or too high can hurt your case. When it comes to financial losses, you can somewhat calculate them because you will have bills for all the expenses.
Calculating non-financial losses is not as simple as calculating financial losses. You cannot put a value on non-financial losses. But a lawyer can. With the experience a lawyer has, they know exactly how to calculate non-financial losses.
Dealing With Insurance Adjusters
As said earlier, insurance adjusters are trained to lowball victims. Insurance companies claim they will look out for you in hard times, but in reality, they will do the opposite. Their goal is to make a profit, and for that, they will do anything, even if it is unethical.
Insurance adjusters will act like your friends and collect evidence against you. They will delay or deny your claim for minor reasons. Dealing with insurance adjusters is worse than the accident itself. Only a lawyer knows how to deal with them and protect you from their cheap tricks to lowball you.
Gathering Evidence
As the plaintiff (the person who is bringing the claim), you have the responsibility of proving your case. It is known as the burden of proof, and you bear it in civil cases. To prove a personal injury case, you need solid evidence.
Gathering proper evidence that can win your case is not easy. You need to conduct an investigation and analyze the accident site to gather evidence. Lawyers will know how to conduct an investigation and will also have contact with private investigators to investigate your case. These are some of the perks you cannot get if you file the case individually.
Lack of Legal Guidance
A personal injury case will require a lot of documentation. Mistakes in documents can cost you the case. An insurance adjuster will look out for minor mistakes you make in the documents to reject your claim. You will require legal guidance in this case.
Another instance where you will need legal guidance is when speaking to insurance adjusters. Insurance adjusters will try to make you admit your fault or use your own words against you. A lawyer can prevent this from happening.
Final Thoughts
Filing a personal injury case with the help of a lawyer is always better than filing it alone. Without a lawyer, insurance companies will not take you seriously, and you will have to face unfair rejections. So, hire a lawyer and obtain fair compensation if you get into an accident.
Read Also: Personal Injury Attorneys: A Guide To Choosing The Right One
