Now think about it, if you needed a surgical procedure, would you try to perform your own surgery on yourself in order to try to save a few dollars?  Odds are that would not turn out too well for you.

Although that sounds a bit farfetched, many times that is tantamount to what a person does when they try to handle their own automobile accident claim, especially when there are injuries involved.

“Why should I hire a lawyer?”, you may ask.  You’ve heard that lawyers generally handle accident claims on a contingency basis and that you will have to pay the lawyer part of your recovery as his fee.  You may think that you can just deal with the insurance company yourself, handle your own claims, thereby saving the portion of the recovery that you would have to pay your lawyer.

There you go again, trying to perform your own surgery.

First of all, you need to understand that insurance companies are generally some of the most profitable corporations in America.  One of the ways they are able to maintain this favorable profit margin is by paying out the least they can on claims.

Sure, insurance companies spend millions on slick advertising campaigns that say things like “Like a Good Neighbor,” or “You’re in Good Hands.”  But at the end of the day, they have experienced claims adjustors working for them whose sole purpose is to get claims settled while paying out the least amount possible.  They also have armies of attorneys working for them with the same goal.

If you are involved in an automobile accident and try to handle your own claim, then it will be you pitted against an experienced claims adjuster or even potentially an army of attorneys.  You’re going to need some experienced, qualified assistance to help level the playing field.

While the handling of a personal injury claim may seem simple to you, it is certainly not.  In fact, there are many issues out there that the average layman would have no way of knowing and which could potentially cause a claimant to get much less than they are entitled to or lose their claim all together.

Here’s an example of just a few of questions/potential pitfalls which could come up in an automobile accident case:

1.  What are the types of insurance coverages available to compensate you and what are the policy limits?

2.  What types of damages can you collect?  Damages to you automobile?  Pain and Suffering?  Lost Income?  Medical Bills? Rental automobile expense?  Other damages?

3.  How long do you have to make a claim with the insurance company before you lose your rights forever?  What is the true value of your claim? (To know this you would have to know the amount that Louisiana courts have awarded in similar type claims.)

Are you confused yet?  These are just a few examples of the type of questions that will need to be answered to properly handle a personal injury claim.  While it may not be brain surgery, it can get very complicated.

If you’ve been in an automobile accident and, particularly if you’ve been injured, do the prudent thing.  Hire a lawyer, one that is experienced in handling accident cases.    If you try to deal with the insurance company yourself, then you very likely will not be in “Good Hands” and they may not treat you “Like a Good Neighbor.”

I think another insurance company advertises that they are “On Your Side.”  Well, that is what you need, someone on your side, to take on the adjusters and insurance company lawyers who are definitely on the company’s side.

The Harrington Law Firm located at 459 Jefferson Street in Natchitoches, Louisiana.  The attorneys are C. Rodney Harrington and C. Edward “Eddie” Harrington.  They handle all types of Personal Injury cases together with Bankruptcy, Social Security Disability, Successions and Divorces.  For free consultation call (318) 352-5900.

We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the bankruptcy code. Results may vary. Free initial consultation.

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