I'm kicking myself right now and I figured maybe if I share my story it'll help someone else who's in the same boat I was in a few months ago. When I first got hurt at work, everybody I knew told me to get a lawyer. My cousin, my neighbor, even the guy at the pharmacy when I went to pick up my pain meds. But I kept thinking I could handle it myself, save the money, and just deal directly with the insurance company like a reasonable adult. Yeah, that didn't work out. I spent four months getting jerked around, having my calls ignored, getting denied for treatments my doctor said I needed, and feeling like I was losing my mind. I finally broke down and made some calls and found out I could get a Saugerties workers comp free consultation without paying anything upfront, which I honestly didn't even know was an option. I went in thinking they'd tell me my case wasn't worth taking, but instead they pointed out all the mistakes I'd been making and things the insurance company was doing that I never would've caught. They took over my case and within a few weeks things started moving again. I'm not saying you absolutely need a lawyer for every claim, but if the insurance company is giving you any pushback at all, do yourself a favor and at least talk to someone. I wasted so much time and stress trying to do it alone and I regret every minute of it. Just my two cents for anyone who's on the fence.