I tried to handle my accident claim solo and almost tanked it — anyone else?
So about four months ago I got rear-ended pretty hard at a red light. The other driver admitted fault right there on the scene, so I naively thought this would be the easiest thing in the world to sort out. Insurance would just... pay me, right? Wrong.
I spent the first six weeks playing phone tag with the adjuster, who was somehow always "reviewing my file" or "waiting on documentation." Meanwhile I'm going to physical therapy twice a week, missing shifts at work, and watching my savings drain. When they finally came back with a number it was almost insulting — like they'd just ignored half my medical records entirely.
I tried disputing it myself. I wrote a long letter, attached everything, cited my lost wages. They basically shrugged and nudged the number up a tiny bit like they were doing me a favor.
A coworker told me to just talk to a PI attorney before accepting anything. I honestly felt weird about it — I'm not a "sue people" type of person. But I finally called one, and just the free consult alone changed how I understood my situation. Turns out I'd already made a couple of missteps in my written communications that could've been used against me.
Having someone actually in my corner, pushing back with the right language and knowledge, was a completely different experience than going it alone.
Has anyone else waited too long to get help, or think they don't need an attorney and then changed their mind? Curious how common this is.