You were injured in a Georgia car accident. You’re wondering if you need an attorney. The answer may be no. For a certain type of case, it is more effective for the injured person to handle the case for themselves instead of hiring an Attorney to handle the case. These cases go by a number of names by major insurance companies which include MIST cases or Subjective Cases.
Over the years large insurance companies such as Allstate, State Farm, Progressive and GEICO have taken a hard-line on resolving these cases and will only offer $1,500 to $3,000. In his book From Good Hands to Boxing Gloves, David Berardinelli set out Allstate’s all encompassing scheme to save money and decrease the number of attorneys that would represent victims who were injured by Allstate Drivers. In these types of cases, Allstate would readily and easily settle cases with people who were injured that chose not to hire an attorney and fight to the wall in cases where attorneys were represented. The goal was a 25% drop in attorneys handling certain types of cases and would hopefully raise the stock price $1.60 a share.
Check out our podcast- Why use a lawyer?
You do not need an attorney in a Minimal Impact Soft Tissue (“MIST”) case. These cases have the following characteristics:
- A small amount of property damage to the rear bumper
- Whiplash type injuries that require a couple of months of chiropractic care and/or physical therapy
- No real changes on X-ray and/or MRI
With that being said, Allstate, State Farm, Progressive, GEICO and the other insurers know that it is not cost-effective to take these types of cases to trial and routinely offer a few thousand dollars knowing that they do not have any risk even if the case goes to trial. The large insurance companies know that our firm and other firms cannot take on the expense of trying this category of case. So, if your case fits this category you may be better off handling the case yourself instead of hiring an attorney.
Best of luck with your case.
Before you sign any documents or give a statement to the insurance company, you can call your Georgia car accident lawyer at 762-323-1460.
This post was written by Tyler Moffitt, a Georgia Car Accident Lawyer. Moffitt Law is located in LaGrange Georgia