Why It Is Not A Good Idea To Represent Yourself In A Personal Injury Case

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Anyone can be a victim of a personal injury lawsuit. In fact, personal injury cases are far more common than you think. If data and statistics are to be believed, more than 7 million of these are filed in the United States alone.

We might tend to believe that as this is something that has happened to us, we should be the best at explaining the same in front of a judge. Or, making insurance authorities and others understand the truthful nature of what has happened and claim fair compensation.

This is not as easy as it looks. A personal injury case involves multiple stakeholders, paperwork, and other details. This is why hiring an expert personal injury attorney in Manhattan makes so much sense.

Who is a Personal Injury Attorney and what do they do?

Personal Injury is a specialized field of law, just like Estate Law or Divorce. A Personal Injury Attorney helps aggrieved victims build their legal case, file the paperwork, negotiate with the insurance providers of the perpetrators of the injury, and claim compensation.

The following are some of the types of personal injury cases where an attorney can help you out claim compensation-

• Dog and Animal Attacks
• Premises Liability Cases
• Medical Malpractice and Negligence
• Product Defects and Liability
• Auto Accidents
• Slip-and-Fall Injuries
• Mental and Emotional Trauma

As you would have gathered from the above, a personal injury case involves both bodily and physical harm along with mental trauma and emotional distress.

A personal injury attorney’s primary role is to work with the aggrieved to build their legal case. This involves piecing together the evidence, coordinating with multiple authorities, and pushing for compensation at all costs.

Should you try representing yourself in a Personal Injury Case?

First things first. There is no law, which prevents an aggrieved person from fighting their own personal injury case. However, as we have pointed out at the beginning of the article, it is not always the best idea.

The following are some of the major reasons why individuals should not represent themselves in personal injury lawsuits-

Too much Paperwork

A personal injury case requires a lot of paperwork to be filed at multiple stages. For example, right from the first day to every subsequent court date, you will be required to gather information, piece together the paperwork, and file them in the correct order. Failure to do so would result in a later date being given. This is something you do not want at any cost.

Insurance Adjusters are Tough

No insurance company would want to part with a settlement unless being pushed to do so till the very end. Lawyers know how it works and what steps they have to take to ensure proper compensation is released by the perpetrator’s insurance company. This means arm-twisting and threatening them with court orders to ensure compliance at all stages of the way.

Settlement Offers can be very Low

Individuals who are victims of personal injury cases think that all settlement offers are great in nature. However, nothing can be farther from the truth. Low-balling when it comes to settlement offers is something that the perpetrator’s legal counsel will try hard at. Knowing what to accept and what to frown at is something that only a trained lawyer is adept at doing.

Piecing together the Evidence

There is a way in which case files are built for maximum impact. This usually involves getting evidence from different places and sources and presenting them in a coherent form in front of the perpetrator and the judge, if the need arises. Running around for the same, especially if you are injured or bedridden can be an impossible task. A lawyer can help you in this regard.

The Final Word

In addition to the above, a personal injury lawyer can also be someone who can offer you mental and emotional support. Taking a personal interest and fighting for what is right and fair is a powerful bond, which can evoke trust and faithfulness. In this article, we have tried to show why going for a personal injury lawyer rather than representing oneself is the best way to proceed with such a lawsuit.