AFTER A CAR CRASH: CAN I HANDLE MY INJURY CLAIM MYSELF? (A FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION)

From: New York attorney Gary E. Rosenberg (personal injury and accident attorney and lawyer; serving Brooklyn Queens Bronx; Queens injury attorney)

Q: Do I need to hire an attorney if I've been injured in a motor vehicle accident?

A: Not necessarily. Many people have small "fender-benders" where there car may not show any damage or just show a tiny dent or ding, and walk away unhurt. Some people are injured and the injury stops hurting within a few weeks or so without medical care.

However, some accident victims are involved in what seems to be low impact collision, and can suffer subtle but permanent traumatic brain injury, or other serious injuries. There is no guarantee that just because a person is in a large car or a heavy truck, or because the vehicles involved were driving slowly, that a victim will walk away from a crash without being hurt. As a rule of thumb, if you were involved in a minor accident, and suffered minimal pain or injuries, you could try to handle the claim yourself. For helpful FREE information I refer you to my FREE book, Warning! Things that Can Destroy Your NY Car Accident Case (And the Insurance Companies Already Know These Things).

Just know that there are many traps for the person that represent him or herself. Accidents are not all treated the same. It makes a difference if you're hurt in an accident with a car or a bus or a truck or a motorcycle. There are deadlines to file certain papers with different insurance companies. And if you're injured due to the negligence of a municipality (a State, County, City, Village, Town or even the Federal Government, etc.) there may be deadlines that apply to filing claim forms. Where your injuries are more serious, or where your bills are piling up, you almost certainly want to seek of an attorney with personal injury and accident experience.

For obviously serious injury, the difficulties of dealing with insurance and medical issues make it imperative that you hire an attorney. Studies conducted by insurance companies show that accident victims who represent themselves recover less money than those that hire qualified personal injury attorneys, even after factoring in the fee charged by the attorney. If you're hurt in an accident, the odds are very small that you will get a fair settlement offer from an insurance company if you don't hire a lawyer.

And remember, you should always notify your own insurance company if you're involved in a motor vehicle accident.