Putting The Pieces Together by Jeff Golden on Flickr
Would you perform surgery on yourself with a pen knife? Would you fly on a jetliner if you knew a do-it-yourselfer with no license just ‘fixed up’ the jet engines? When we reach out for help there is usually a reason.
Legal matters can look like just a pile of paper. But, just because it is not so obvious, does not mean one should plunge in head first, not knowing the hidden traps. There are many reasons a personal injury claim requires attention from an experienced attorney. Here are a few:
- The insurance industry’s own statistics confirm that once an attorney is brought in to a claim, the value goes up.
- Your own attorney has a duty to fully inform you of all potential elements of recovery which the insurance company claims adjuster will not take time to tell you about.
- Settlements are forever. This means that if you decide to accept a settlement, this is the final disposition of the case forever. Should you later need additional treatment or discover an outstanding charge you didn’t know about, it is too late to go back.
- The insurance adjuster’s job is to close a file as quickly as possible, with the lowest payout for the insurance company possible.
My office handles personal injury and accident cases in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. To be certain, there are procedural and legal differences from state to state. But the insurance policies and practices discussed here are relatively universal across the U.S.A.
