A potential client called my office and asked “when should I hire a personal injury lawyer?” The answer I told them was you should hire an injury lawyer if you have injuries that are persistent and the traffic collision you were in caused damage to your vehicle that’s more than a scratch or broken tail light. In some cases if the damage is very minimal and you are not hurting after a few days in that case you may want to settle the case directly with the insurance company. But if you have persistent pain or the damage to your vehicle was more than a bump you should at least contact a qualified local personal injury attorney who can advise you on your options. Even if your injuries are not immediately apparent for instance you have a torn rotator cuff, a torn meniscus, or an injury disc in your spine you will need your medical injuries understood by doctors so you can understand the full extent of harm that has happened to your body before you ever discuss settlement with the insurance companies.