Have any of you settled with an insurance company without a lawyer?

You can. They are likely to call you. They will offer you a check and ask that you sign a waiver for any future claims. Just make sure that you are confident (medical exam; reasonable length of time) that no future injuries will crop up.

I have done it and had it work out OK.

Yeah, I did it for a minor accident when an elderly man rear-ended my car because he wasn’t paying attention. Unfortunately I had just come from having minor surgery on the some skin on my back and the area started bleeding again. :-P Everything ended up being ok, but his insurance company freaked out when they heard that and offered to cover all the doctor’s expenses plus extra. So you shouldn’t have a problem, especially if the other person admitted it was their fault.

Yes. I was in a minor bike accident involving a car, and the driver was ticketed. All I had were a couple of bruised ribs and a damaged fork. I came out ahead.

I guess it depends on whether you want all you can get, or if you just want your damages paid and go on with your life. The insurance companies are going to do their best to give you the least possible amount. A lawyer will get you all kinds of money, not just to pay for your damages, but also pain and suffering, lost wages, and whatever else they can think of. Not getting a lawyer could mean the difference between a $200 settlement and a $20,000 settlement. Just saying…