Do I Need to Hire a South Bend Personal Injury Lawyer?

May 17, 2025

Whether through a construction accident, a slip-and-fall, or one of the collisions with cars, trucks, or motorcycles that occur much too frequently in the city, including 3,617 crashes just in 2022, a major injury always seems to be right around the corner in South Bend. Fortunately, compensation may be available when somebody else is to blame for your accidental injury, and you could increase the amount you obtain by securing knowledgeable legal assistance. Discover what a capable attorney can bring to the table if you are seriously hurt and wondering “Do I need to hire a South Bend personal injury lawyer?”

The Difficulties of Handling Your Own Personal Injury Case

Though most personal injury victims seek help from skilled legal practitioners – and receive 3.5 times more on average when they do – you are certainly entitled to handle your own personal injury case. Nevertheless, you could face significant difficulties if you go it alone in the wake of a catastrophic injury.

Any viable personal injury case has to demonstrate both negligence, which is the failure to exercise sufficient caution in order to avoid harming others, and damages, which are the detrimental outcomes of such negligence. Basically, if you incur physical damages as a result of a defendant’s negligence, you could initiate a claim against that defendant for financial damages, but the sheer number of potential defendants could make that task challenging. In some instances, multiple defendants could share various degrees of legal and fiscal liability for the same accidental injury, and all of them must be pursued within the time allotted by law if you hope to be fully compensated for your losses.

Not that your problems will go away if you do manage to track down each of the defendants, since you may still have to contend with their insurance companies, who are generally your chief sources of economic recovery and will therefore have a strong incentive to shell out as little as possible. A veteran insurance adjuster could easily take advantage of your relative unfamiliarity with the claims process to justify paying you pennies on the dollar or simply deny your claim altogether, which could tip you over the edge if you already happen to be the brink of ruin.

How a South Bend Personal Injury Attorney Can Make a Difference

An accidental injury can turn your world upside down, overwhelming you with escalating demands on your wallet and simultaneously making it tougher to meet them, but a dedicated South Bend personal injury attorney can make a difference.

This may be your first accidental injury, but you can bet that it won’t be the first for a seasoned lawyer, who will be far better equipped to fend off the tricks and tactics that would otherwise be deployed against you while doing whatever it takes to maximize the value of your case.

Your attorney will begin by conducting a comprehensive investigation to identify the root causes of your injury and the defendants who may be responsible for it, then establish claims valid claims against them by sending them formal notification in writing and alerting their insurance carriers. If the situation warrants it, a lawsuit could be filed as well in a court with the power to issue a binding judgment.

Upon putting together an airtight case that thoroughly conveys wrongdoing on the part of the defendants, a tenacious South Bend personal injury lawyer will negotiate tirelessly with their insurers for a settlement that takes the totality of your damages into account, including your:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Psychological trauma
• Mobility restrictions
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Diminished quality of living
• Loss of consortium

When confronted with compelling evidence of your damages and the insured’s negligence, a sensible adjuster may be convinced to propose a generous offer rather than risk a worse verdict from a jury. Indeed, South Bend personal injury claims are often concluded prior to trial, but a battle-tested attorney will be indispensable if a trial becomes necessary.

Whereas plaintiffs who represent themselves in the courtroom only win about four percent of their cases, plaintiffs are statistically favored to prevail when they retain professional representation, and they could even be awarded the funds they require to get back to normal.

Reach Out to Our South Bend Personal Injury Lawyers

Hensley Legal Group has been fiercely advocating for hardworking Hoosiers like you since the firm opened its doors in 1998. If you don’t know what to do after being badly injured in the South Bend area through no fault of your own, reach out to our South Bend personal injury lawyers to explore your legal options.

You can schedule a complimentary case review with an accomplished South Bend personal injury attorney by calling us at (317) 472-3333, chatting with us online, or filling out our contact form today.