Being injured because of someone else’s negligence is never good. The process to claim compensation can be expensive, and in order to cut costs, many wonder: can I file a personal lawsuit claim without a lawyer? Legally, yes. You have every right to represent yourself and file a claim.
But, it’s important to understand that representing yourself is far from easy. The duties of a personal injury lawyer are pushed onto you, so it’s important to understand what you’re getting yourself into.
This blog post will take you through the personal injury claim process, and what you’ll need to do if you want to file a personal injury claim without a lawyer. To help, we’ve broken this post into these sections:
- What is a Personal Injury Claim?
- Assessing What Compensation You Are Owed
- The Steps to Filing a Personal Injury Claim
- Pros and Cons of Filing a Claim Without a Personal Injury Lawyer
- How to Pay for a Personal Injury Lawyer Without Risk
What is a Personal Injury Claim?
Personal injury claims are filed either by a personal injury lawyer or the plaintiff who is injured, and someone else is responsible for that harm. The purpose of filing a personal injury claim is to seek monetary compensation that is paid through the responsible person’s insurance company. The most common areas of compensation include paying for medical bills, pain and suffering, and ongoing medical expenses.
But, here’s a common misconception about personal injury claims that you need to know. Sustaining an injury isn’t enough to pursue a personal injury claim. Personal injury claims are only filed if you sustain damages that meet the threshold of a “serious injury”.
This threshold varies from state to state, but are usually those that have a profound and long-lasting impact on you and your family. Naturally, not many people are privy to this information, but consulting with a personal injury lawyer is all it takes to determine if you might have a provable case fit to pursue legally or not. Examples of a serious injury include:
- Severe scarring or disfigurement
- Injury resulting in loss of bodily function
- Injury resulting in loss of use of limb, organ, or any other body part
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
It’s worth noting that these are just examples. A personal injury claim can be filed even if you don’t fit into the above scenarios, provided that they fit into your state’s definition of a serious injury.
Being injured because of someone else’s negligence is never good. The process to claim compensation can be expensive, and in order to cut costs, many wonder: can I file a personal lawsuit claim without a lawyer? Legally, yes. You have every right to represent yourself and file a claim.
