Practice make perfect

Athletes understand practice. No matter the sport, there are very few elite athletes, whether football players, figure skaters, soccer players, downhill skiers or NASCAR drivers who do not know the tedium of hours and hours honing their craft.

When a professional golfer hits a 300-yard tee shot that lands within feet of the pin, or a figure skater lands a perfect triple flip, it looks effortless and as if there could have been no other outcome. But behind that perfection lays thousands of repetitions of that exact move, until it really does appear effortless.

When you are involved in a car accident, you may be somewhat overwhelmed but the crash, potential injuries and the demands of your recovery. However, you may think you understand what an insurance adjuster is telling you regarding their settlement offer.

Unless you happen to be an insurance adjuster or a personal injury attorney, you may want a second opinion prior to accepting any settlement, or pursuing any claim. While you may be intelligent and capable, you probably have little practice dealing with these matters, and if you have suffered any injuries, you may have the additional impairment of dealing with your own health issues.

You may be able to learn as you go, but the danger with legal matters is that you may not understand all of the jargon and terms of art, may not grasp statutes of limitation and complying with service of process and meeting document filing deadlines.

It is like beginning a home improvement project where you have only the exact number and length of boards, and that if you ruin a nail or cut a board too short, you will have an insufficient amount to complete the project.

If you have been injured and are entitled to significant compensation, you want your matter handled by a professional who has years of experience and can ensure that your claim is not compromised by inadvertent or rookie errors. Because this is one activity you do not want to experience enough to become perfect at.