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My wife was hit by a car while crossing on a pedestrian crossing. She suffered a fractured knee for which she was hospitalised for 1 day and is on 2 month MC. according to the doctor, full recovery may take upto 6 months or more. We contacted the insurance company of the driver for the process about filing 3rd party claim. the insurance company has proposed that they will be appointing an investigator who will contact us and assess about the medical claims and other damages which the insurance company will pay us. however we have the option to counter propose and reject if we feel the offer is too low. No lawyers are involved in the process till now. 1. Our Hospitalisation expenses (including MRI scan & CT scan) and the subsequent follow up > 5k till now. There will be monthly follow ups and she will need to go for rehab and physio for at least 6 months( may be weekly sessions, not sure yet) 2. I understand that we can file for injury claims within 3 years following the accident. 3. we have filed a police report and case is under investigation. We have submitted all the documents to the IO. So my queries are- 1. How impartial are these 3rd party investigators in assessing the claims and offer of compensation. 2. as the follow up is prolonged should we wait for the injury to get better and see whether there are any complications or should we settle it now. Most of the friends i have talked to are asking me to talk to a lawyer, but i understand that they charge a lot or may take a portion of the compensation which is offered. so is it really necessary to engage a lawyer or we can just proceed without one. Any help and advise will be appreciated. Thanks in advance