How to Handle Your Own Injury Claim: Part 4 What if none of that works?
Disclaimer: This information offered in this post is for offered for informational purposes only, and does not constitute legal advice nor does it create an attorney/client relationship. I am admitted in the state of North Carolina only and make no attempt to opine on matters of law that are not relevant to that state. This advice is based on general principles of law that may or may not relate to your specific situation. You should not rely on this advice alone and nothing in these communications creates an attorney client relationship. Seeking direct advice from an attorney in person may be advised.
I told you so. But you had to try! I cannot tell you how many people have come to me who tried to handle their own claim but now want help. It happens A LOT, though.
There are really two types of problems that this creates: Claim damage and settlement snafus. Claim damage is messing up during the process – saying the wrong thing, giving up the wrong info – that causes the case to be worth less than it would have been otherwise. People inexperienced in this process make these mistakes without knowing it. That’s the problem of amateurism. Settlement snafus occur when a pro se (non-attorney-having) party undervalues a claim and/or paints an adjuster in a corner as to settlement amounts. After that, getting an attorney involved to negotiate almost never does any good, as you have to at least begin litigation to get anywhere further.
So what do you do now? You can try to get an attorney to help, but sometimes the damage has been done and there won’t be much we can do to help. Not always, but sometimes. It’s probably at least worth a call.
I like to tell accident victims this: Using a personal injury attorney is like doing karate according to Mr. Miyagi, “either you attorney hire YES, or you attorney hire NO; you attorney hire MAYBE/SOMETIME means sooner or later squish like grape.”
What does that mean? It means that in my opinion you should make your decision at the outset to either hire an attorney or not.
Hiring an attorney at the beginning can help prevent problems and make less work for you.
Trying to hire an attorney after you’ve already tried to do this on your own may just create more problems than the attorney can fix.
Think of it this way: Does it make more sense to try to build a house on your own, and then get a carpenter to fix your mistakes at the end, or to just hire a carpenter to do it right the first time?
The choice is yours. Good luck!
Jeffrey Howard
919-929-2992