Why You Shouldn’t “DIY” Injury Cases

Personal Injury Lawyers

A few years back, the concept of “DIY” made a resurgence in popular culture. The idea that “do(ing) it yourself” approaches are laudable tend to ebb and flow as society’s priorities shift back and forth. Even before the pandemic hit – and a significant fraction of Americans were isolated in their homes for months on end – DIY culture was in a cycle of approval rather than rejection.

Yet, even when DIY approaches are popular, there are some tasks that you just shouldn’t undertake on your own. For example, you shouldn’t attempt to administer your own anesthesia during a surgery, nor should you attempt to extract your own teeth. Why? Some situations require professional knowledge and experience that lay people can’t pick up by trial and error or through application of hard work. Similarly, if you have recently been injured and believe that you may be owed compensation, you shouldn’t “DIY” your own personal injury lawsuit.

Maximizing Your Compensation Is the Goal

As an experienced personal injury lawyer – including those who practice at Davis, Johnson & Kallal – can confirm, it is very difficult for self-represented injury victims to secure the maximum amount of compensation they’re owed. It is often very difficult for self-represented injury victims to simply receive a minimally fair compensation award, let alone the full amount of compensation to which they are entitled.

This is partially because the law is a profession. Like accountants, physicians, and architects, lawyers are considered “professionals” because they spend years in graduate school receiving advance training and are required to complete ongoing educational requirements to remain licensed. The legal system isn’t designed for lay people to navigate it with ease. And although courts will allow you to represent yourself – just as you’re entitled to treat your own medical conditions at home – it simply isn’t easy in the least to achieve the same kind of favorable outcome on your own that an attorney could pursue on your behalf.

You Need to Focus on Healing

It takes a surprising amount of physical, mental, and emotional energy to heal from any kind of trauma. Whether you’ve been involved in a car accident or you took a nasty spill in a retail parking lot, you need to be smart about conserving energy where you can as you heal. Allowing an experienced attorney to haggle with insurance companies, gather evidence for your lawsuit, and generally handle all of the “heavy lifting” that pursuing justice entails will better ensure that you can focus your energy on your recovery process.

Lawsuits Are Time-Sensitive

Gathering evidence, building a case, and navigating all the ins and outs of the legal process takes time. If you’re working, healing, caring for loved ones, etc., you likely do not have the time it will take to achieve a favorable verdict on your hands. Pursuing justice is a lawyer’s “day job.” As a result, they have resources to commit to your case that you likely do not at this time.