Get this wrong, and you can end up signing away a claim for medical bills, lost app income, bike or car damage, and future treatment before you know who was supposed to pay.

From the insurance company's perspective: no, you probably do not need a lawyer. They would rather treat your Coeur d'Alene crash like a simple fender-bender, even if you were driving for Uber, DoorDash, or Amazon Flex and the liability picture is a mess. They may push a quick statement, a quick release, and a quick check while they sort out whether the personal policy, the app's policy, a dealership policy on a test drive, or another driver's insurer should be on the hook.

From reality: yes, often you do if anyone was hurt, fault is disputed, multiple policies may apply, or you cannot work. Idaho uses modified comparative fault: if you are 50% or more at fault, you recover nothing; under 50%, your recovery is reduced. That matters a lot in spring and summer around Coeur d'Alene, when visibility disputes involving motorcycles and cyclists are common.

You may not need a lawyer if it was property damage only, no real injury, no missed work, and the insurer is paying fair value promptly.

If you do hire one, ask about:

• Contingency fee: usually around 33% to 40%, and whether that percentage rises if suit is filed
• Who will handle the case day to day
• Whether they have handled gig-driver claims and layered insurance disputes
• Case costs: records, filing fees, experts

Red flags: guaranteed outcomes, pressure to sign the same day, vague fee terms, or no clear answer about who pays costs if the case loses.

In Idaho, the general deadline to sue for personal injury is 2 years. If a city, county, or highway entity was involved, notice under the Idaho Tort Claims Act can be due in just 180 days.

If you already hired the wrong lawyer, you can usually fire them mid-case and switch. The fee issue is then worked out between lawyers; it does not usually mean you pay two full contingency fees.