Really wishing I'd hired a lawyer from the start – my own fault 

Looking back now I feel pretty stupid because when I first got hurt lifting boxes at a shipping facility in Dutchess County, I figured I'd just file the paperwork myself and save everyone time and money. Six months later, my shoulder still isn't right, the insurance company has denied my physical therapy twice saying it's "not medically necessary," and I just found out I missed a deadline to appeal something because the letter went to an old address. I finally broke down and started calling around, and even though I haven't officially signed with anyone yet, just talking to a Dutchess County workers compensation attorney made me realize how many little mistakes I made that are now going to be a pain to undo. So if anyone reading this is newly hurt and thinking they can handle it alone because their injury seems straightforward – please learn from my mess. The forms look simple but the insurance company's job is to pay you as little as possible, and they will use every tiny error against you. I'm not saying every case needs a lawyer, but man, I wish I'd at least done a free consultation before I dug myself into this hole.