Why You Need A Personal Injury Lawyer When Filing A Compensation Claim

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There are two ways to go about your personal injury claim. You could either claim directly from the insurer or engage the services of a personal injury lawyer. This article discusses both options with the assertion that you should let a personal injury lawyer handle your claim. 

Making An Independent Claim

Modern insurance companies have a straightforward claims processing procedure. All you have to do is file your claim with a detailed explanation of what transpired and the required evidence. Consequently, the insurance company will send an adjuster to ascertain your claim. Once the adjuster verifies the information you provided, they will write a report to the insurance company recommending compensation. After this, you will receive compensation for your injuries. 

Filing Through A Lawyer

The primary benefit of hiring a personal injury lawyer is that they will increase the value of your claim. Typically, compensation is based on the injuries suffered and the losses incurred. One of the shortcomings of filing an independent claim is that you are likely to undervalue or overvalue your injuries. Besides, you do not have the legal knowledge of justifying your claims. On the other hand, an experienced personal injury lawyer will: 

Once the lawyer files the claim, the insurance company will send their offer. This is where independent claims end. In contrast, the lawyer will send a counteroffer with justifications as to why you need more compensation. More often than not, these back and forth negotiations will result in significantly higher compensation than you could have received if you opted for an independent claim. 

There are instances when the insurance company denies your request for compensation. In this case, you will not have recourse if you made an independent claim. If you have a lawyer to represent your interests, they will file the case in court and await a judge's verdict. 

Proponents of filing an independent claim will argue that personal injury lawyers are expensive. However, this is not the case. Reputable lawyers will offer their clients a no-win-no-fee arrangement. In this case, the lawyer will not charge a dime until they win the case. They will take a small percentage of the compensation as legal charges. Besides, they can claim legal charges from the negligent party and reimburse the amount they had claimed as legal fees. Reach out to a lawyer for more information. 


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