Whether to hire an attorney for your injury claim depends on a number of factors. These factors include:

• the severity of injuries
• the amount of medical expenses
• the amount of other damages such as property loss and lost wages

I recommend that anyone who sees a doctor for an injury should at least consult with an attorney. If the doctor's visit was a one-time check up and the doctor said you're ok, then there is really no need to hire an attorney. But if your injuries are more severe, such as a trip to the emergency room, multiple doctor follow up appointments, and/or physical therapy for treatment, then it's likely you'll want to have an attorney represent you. 

A lot of times I will see injury claimants try to do the insurance claim on their own, but they do not have the knowledge or experience to handle the process. The insurance adjusters on the other side are trained to give you the least amount possible for your claim. If someone has never been through the claim process before, how would they know what their claim is worth? The worst case scenario is when someone accepts a low-ball settlement offer from the insurance company, then gets a big reimbursement bill from their health insurer that wipes out their entire settlement. 

The circuit court judge I worked for asked people trying to represent themselves in his courtroom: "Would you take out your own appendix?" You don't want to be in the position of answering that question.