spry-mole-4475/10/2026

Sister and I both got hurt in the same crash — do we even need lawyers?

So my sister and I were passengers together when another driver blew through a stop sign and T-boned the car we were in. This happened a couple months ago and we're still very much in the thick of it.

Here's the thing — our dad was actually in a separate accident last year and ended up hiring a PI attorney, so we've seen how that process works from the outside. His situation was pretty serious though. Ours feels less serious but honestly I'm not sure anymore.

We both walked away from the scene thinking we were mostly okay — sore, shaken up, but okay. Within a few days both of us had significant neck pain and this weird shooting pain going down one of our arms, plus tingling/numbness in our fingers. We went to our PCPs, got referred to a spine specialist, and both ended up getting MRIs.

Mine came back showing disc herniations at two levels in my lower cervical spine. My sister's showed herniations too, and her report mentioned one of them is "abutting" the spinal cord. The radiologist flagged both of our scans as showing signs of acute injury. Neither of us has ever had neck issues before — we're both in our mid-30s and were totally fine before this.

We've each had a steroid injection that gave some temporary relief, and we just finished a round of diagnostic nerve blocks that apparently went well according to our doctor.

The at-fault driver's insurance has been calling us pretty regularly. They've been really friendly and keep saying they just want to get things resolved quickly. That part honestly makes me a little nervous.

Do we actually need lawyers for this, or can we handle it ourselves? I don't want to give away a chunk of a settlement unnecessarily, but I also don't want to get taken advantage of.

9 replies

Most helpful first

sharp-vole-3135/10/2026
That friendliness from the other driver's insurance? That's a tactic. The faster they can get you to settle, the less they pay — and you won't know the full picture of your injuries yet. Spinal stuff especially can evolve for months. Please don't sign or agree to anything until you know where your treatment is heading.
- tidy-dove-5275/10/2026
  You have herniated discs confirmed on MRI, you're both still in active treatment, and the other side's insurance is calling you repeatedly. Get a lawyer. That's my take. You can always decide not to use one after the consult, but go in informed.
genuine-marmot-7945/10/2026
I used to work on the insurance side and I'll be straight with you: when adjusters are calling frequently and being super warm and cooperative early on, it's often because they've already evaluated the claim and think they can close it cheap before you get legal representation. Disc herniations with cord contact on your sister's MRI — that is not a minor claim. I'd strongly suggest at least getting a free consult with a PI attorney before you talk to them again.
patient-fox-1675/10/2026
The cord abutment on your sister's scan is something to take seriously from a medical standpoint. That doesn't automatically mean surgery, but it means she needs to be closely monitored and should not rush through treatment. From what I've seen, people with that finding can have delayed symptom progression. Make sure her spine doc knows she's not settling anything until they have a clearer picture of where things are headed.
kind-fox-6195/10/2026
I was in a two-passenger situation like this with my cousin a while back and we tried to handle it ourselves at first. We genuinely thought we were saving money. Long story short — I wish we hadn't waited so long to get a lawyer involved. By the time we realized the offers were way too low, we'd already made some statements to the adjuster that complicated things. Not saying that'll happen to you, just... be careful.
mellow-elk-7665/10/2026
Not legal advice, but the scenario you're describing — two claimants, documented acute herniations, interventional treatment already underway, with more likely ahead — is exactly the kind of situation where having representation typically makes a meaningful difference in outcome. At minimum, consult with a PI attorney before giving any recorded statements or discussing numbers with the adjuster. Most consultations are free and the attorney can tell you honestly whether it makes sense or not.
sharp-seal-0845/10/2026
A few practical things: (1) Don't give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurance — you're not required to and it almost never helps you. (2) Keep a running log of your symptoms, missed work, things you can't do that you used to — this matters later. (3) Most PI attorneys work on contingency, so there's no upfront cost. Given that you and your sister are two separate claimants with potentially two separate claims, it might even make sense to each consult independently.
calm-sparrow-8985/10/2026
The fact that your sister's scan showed something touching her spinal cord is really worrying me for her. Please make sure she's not downplaying her symptoms trying to get back to normal life — I've seen people push through stuff like this and it doesn't end well. Take care of yourselves first, the insurance stuff can wait a few more weeks.
quiet-fox-0415/10/2026
Quick question — did you two get separate MRI reports or were they interpreted by the same radiologist? And has the spine specialist actually said anything about next steps beyond the nerve blocks, like whether surgery is on the table? That context matters a lot for figuring out where things stand.