3. You Will Mess Up Your Case.
In a lot of ways, handling your own auto accident claim is like treating yourself instead of seeing a doctor. Yes, there is a chance you are going to be okay, but there is also the very real risk you can hurt yourself further.
If you handle your own case, you are assuming full responsibility for meeting all deadlines. Take the statute of limitations for example. Insurance companies and their attorneys often drag their feet on your claim and try to get you to miss the statute of limitations so that you are barred from filing a lawsuit.
Many people also tell the insurance companies way more information than they ought to and sooner than they should. And because this process is new to you, you will constantly be reacting to what the insurance company is doing when you should be on the offense the whole time.
Preparation and how organized you present your case/claim is extremely important. It sends a message that you are ready to put the insurance companies feet to the fire. If you have never handled your own claim, how are you to know the best way to organize and present your claim? Finally, if you do file a lawsuit by yourself, you will face an attorney who will use the rules of evidence and civil procedure against you, knowledge that took three (3) years of law school to learn.
In my prior career as an insurance defense attorney, I was routinely successful in getting cases dismissed against plaintiffs not represented by counsel for a whole array of technicalities, and even where the other driver was wrong. This was because the plaintiff always has to meet his/her burden of proof and attorneys know how to use the rules to keep you from doing so.
