Should I hire a personal injury lawyer or accident attorney?

by Anonymous
(Massachusetts, USA)

I was rear ended while getting off a highway exit by the driver behind me who was also coming off the exit. I was bearing right and yielding when it happened.

The damage was minor. Myself and the other driver felt okay at the time, so we did not exchange information. The next day I felt pain in my neck, upper back,lower back and left leg. I decided to put in a claim with my insurance company for injuries, due to the fact that I did not have the other driver's information.

I went to hospital emergency room and got checked, they treated me for neck and back strain. They did not take X-rays. They told me to follow up with my primary care doctor. I was sent home with prescriptions for naproxen and flexeril and told to put ice on any painful areas.

This happened in the state of Massachusetts. I do not really know how to negotiate, and do not feel comfortable doing so. Is it best for me to get a personal injury lawyer or accident attorney for this situation?

Disclaimer: Information provided in our response is NOT formal legal advice. It is generic legal information based on the very limited information you provided. Under no circumstances should the information in our response, or anywhere else on this site be relied upon when making decisions about your case. You should always get a formal case review from a licensed attorney.

ANSWER for "Should I hire a personal injury lawyer or accident attorney?":

Regrettably it appears you really don’t have a case. In addition, filing a claim against your own insurance company for an uninsured motorist injury is not likely to sit well with your insurance company, or your future premiums - and in this case won’t bring in any type of real settlement offer, if any.

Neck and back strain, commonly referred to as “soft tissue injuries” normally do not demand any substantial settlement at all. In many cases the injured person is lucky to even have the insurance company pay for his medical and chiropractic bills.

One of the medications the hospital gave you was an over-the-counter medication. Naprosyn is just the generic term for the over the counter pain medication Alleve. The other medication, Flexiril is a non-narcotic inflammatory just a little stronger than Advil.

We mention these because if the doctors thought your pain was serious enough to merit a stronger pain medication they would have prescribed something normally prescribed for acute pain.

Finally, if there wasn’t even enough damage to your mutual vehicles to exchange insurance information it will be very difficult to convince your insurance company that you were injured.

Since laws change frequently and across jurisdictions you should get a personalized case evaluation from an attorney licensed in your state (if you haven't already). Find an experienced local attorney to give you a FREE personalized case review here.


Best of luck,

Law Guy