That depends. I know this is a typical lawyer answer, but the decision on when to hire a lawyer when you’ve been hurt because of someone else’s negligence depends on several things. As personal injury lawyers handling cases for over fifteen years, here are a few things that may tell you it's time to lawyer up.
What’s your tolerance for careful communication?
When dealing with an insurance company or other business, it's important to remember that their goal is to pay you as little money compensation as possible. They will use your own words against you to accomplish this. Therefore, you must be very careful and deliberate with what you say to them. Furthermore, any verbal communication must be followed by written communication and all requests must have deadlines. If this sounds daunting, then you should hire a lawyer to do it for you.
If you’re able to deal with the insurance company on your own, what kind of compensation are you trying to get?
If you are just looking for a quick and small settlement, chances are you can handle that on your own. If you are looking for significant compensation, you’ll probably have more success with a lawyer.
How complicated is the case?
Generally, simpler cases like crashes or slip or trip and falls are easier to handle without a lawyer. However, more complicated cases like product liability, truck crashes, and medical malpractice cases should be handled by an experienced lawyer.
Much of what goes into your decision to hire a lawyer has to do with your willingness and ability to handle the claim. If you are concerned about saying something you shouldn’t or hurting your case, I suggest hiring a lawyer.