Will I need a lawyer to recover what I lost in a property/car accident? I just want to get my car fixed, money for lost wages.

If you have auto insurance on your car, I would just pay your deductible and have your own insurance company take care of the damage. If you do not have insurance, than you are going to have to make the claim against the other driver's insurance company. If the police were at the scene, obtain a copy of the accident report to see if they reported that they had insurance. If no police at the scene, you may need to contact the other driver directly to find out if they carry auto insurance. If they do not carry insurance, your other option would be to sue them in small claims court in WI where the maxiumum to sue for is $10,000. Small claims court is designed specifically for people to handle their cases on their own without lawyers, but you can certainly find an attorney if you want to handle the case. If you were not injured in the accident, most personal injury lawyers will not take your case on a contingency fee basis, which means they only get paid if they recover money for you. More likely than not, you will need to pay a retainer and hourly rates to have an attorney helo you on  a property damage only case.