Can You Handle Your Own Personal Injury Claim?

Lawyers want you to believe that filing and winning a personal injury claim is tough, takes a lot of work, and takes a great deal of time.  Actually, the opposite is true.  Filing a claim does need a little patience and organization but it is something you handle without a lawyer.  You can also receive the benefits you are entitled to without your benefits being reduced or denied.  In fact, you may end with a much larger compensation settlement because you don't have to pay a lawyer their fees. 

You will not want to take on a personal injury that looks like a complicated and multifaceted personal injury suit.  There are some claims that are easy to work out and can handle on your own.  For instance, you may choose to file your claim for an auto, bike, or pedestrian accident.  Maybe you can handle your slip and fall claim against a business or someone's home.  The process for filing against a company that made a defective product that caused the accident may be a claim you can handle alone. 

The claims process is simple.  Many claims involve only a few short letters, phone calls, and a meeting with a claims adjuster.  The claims adjuster does not have any legal training so you shouldn't have to know any legal language or know complex laws about personal injury claims.  Normally, your right to compensation depends on your powers of observation about which party was careful and who was not.  Compensation will also depend on how serious your injuries are.

If you have taken the proper steps when an accident happens you should be able to file the claim and apply for compensation.  If you are involved in an accident, immediately write down what happened prior, during, and after the accident or injury.  Take the names, addresses, and phone numbers of any witnesses who saw the accident.  Revisit the scene and take pictures of the accident site.  Take note of climate, traffic, and anything that would have a bearing on your case.  Generally a judge will award the claim based on commonsense.

The compensation system is structured and claims fall into a narrow range according to medical costs, type of accident, and the injuries you suffered.  In some states there are laws limiting the compensation you can receive for a particular injury.  Also considered will be your physical condition since your injury and what you physically can do since your injury.

If you believe you can prepare your personal injury case, you will save anywhere from 33 to 40 percent in lawyer's fees.  Usually, a lawyer may only get you an extra 10 to 25 percent of what you would get if you filed the claim.  There is obviously a difference in percentages and that means a difference in dollars!  A lawyer may also charge incidental fees such as for copies, taking phone calls, and faxing necessary papers.  Unless your claim is serious or complicated, you are better off to handle the claim on your own.