How to Approach Your Personal Injury Claim
Personal injury claims include a variety of things. to name a few, they include, car accidents, slip-and-falls, dog bites, wrongful death. Any accident attorney will tell you that the most important step to approaching your claim is to gather as much information as possible. the next important step is to hire a personal injury lawyer right away. Especially if you are suffering from serious injuries. If you have been injured in an accident, contact us to discuss your case. Consultations are free!
Accident Attorney | How to Approach Your Claim
One of the most important aspects to any personal injury claim is evidence. This can be anything from your account of the incident, witness statements, police reports, etc. You are considered an important witness in your own personal injury dispute. When you can, sit down and write down as much information you can about the accident. We usually suggest after you have left the scene of the accident and have spoken with the police. Record dates, times, descriptions of the scene, if you have your phone on you at the time of the incident, make sure you take as many pictures as you can. Documenting everything is important to winning your case. Include the following:
- Describe your injuries and what led to your injuries;
- ex: did someone hit you after running a red light? Were you bit by a dog? Did you slip-and-fall?
- Include information about where you were going and who you were with;
- Describe how the incident made you feel;
- did you have to take pain medication?
- did you suffer from a panic attack?
- how severe are your injuries?
Obtain a Copy of the Police Report
Your personal injury lawyer will do this for you, however, if the police were called to the scene of the incident, make sure you get a copy for your records. These reports include important information, including the names of any witnesses.
You can obtain a copy of the incident report by contacting the branch or station where the report was filed. Generally, all reports are filed with the department for that city or county where the injury occurred. If injuries are due to a dog bite, make sure you also make a report to animal control services in your county or city. You may need to pay a fee for the report, but it usually minimal. Remember, your attorney’s office will also be ordering a copy of the police report, so this copy will be for your official records.
Talk to Witnesses
You can always strengthen your case if you have people who are willing to give a statement about what happened during the indecent. for example, if someone hit you because they ran a red light, another driver or someone on the street (if in an incorporated city) may have seen the accident. Furthermore, they may be able to give more details of the accident that you were not aware of.
- Ask witnesses what they say and if they would be willing to testify and/or give a statement to your attorney;
- Make sure to get their name(s) and contact information;
- Once you hire an accident attorney, you can give your lawyer their information;
- your attorney will then question them in order to make sure their information will be useful to your case
Take Picture
Pictures will be incredibly valuable to your case. Please do not wait until your injuries heal; make sure to take pictures of any bruises, cuts, other wounds right away. You not only want pictures of your wounds, but you want to get pictures of the scene of the incident. an example of pictures to take when you are injured in a car accident is below:
- Take pictures of the car(s) involved in the accident. This includes any damages to your vehicle and another other vehicles;
- For some reason, if the other parties are not allowing you to take pictures, do not escalate the situation by getting into an argument. Do what you can to get the pictures that you can;
- Take as many pictures of the scene of the accident;
- This includes street signs, signals, intersections, etc. Any picture of the scene and your surroundings as you can
Develop a Strategy With Your Personal Injury Lawyer
One of the first steps you should take in a personal injury claim is to seek representation from a personal injury lawyer. This is because you (the injured party) and the defendant (the at-fault party) will most likely be needing one. Personal injury cases can be complicated and in some cases, they may require an expert witness. It will take too long for you to get up to speed on your own, however, hiring an attorney will be to your advantage.
Most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, and at Silverthorne Attorneys, we are no exception. This means that you do not have to pay anything out of pocket. We collect our fees from a percentage of your settlement. the same will go for your doctors bills. This is so you do not have to worry about finances when you are trying to heal from your injuries.
What Your Attorney Will Do
The first thing your attorney will do (after getting you set up with treatment) will analyze your case. Most personal injury cases are brought on by certain acts of negligence and your attorney will analyze the details of your case and prove the following:
- Duty of Care Your attorney must prove that the defendant owed you a duty of care. Meaning, they have a duty not to harm people nearby;
- Breach of Duty When the defendant breaks (breaches) their duty of car when they do not act with sufficient care;
- Causation The defendant’s carelessness mush have caused your injuries. Your attorney will need to show that “but for the defendant’s carelessness,” you would not have been injured. Your accident attorney will also need to show that the at-fault party could force that their actions would cause injuries;
- Damages These are injuries that you can be compensated for. in personal injury cases, emotional pain and loss ability to function are taken into account. Therefore, compensation is determined by a mathematical equation. for example, if you lose to ability to use one of your arms properly, that will be viewed as a certain percentage of your body that no longer functions. Meaning, you will be compensated for that loss
Trust Your Attorney
When it comes down to it, your personal injury lawyer knows what they are doing. Trust them to take the lead in your case so you can concentrate on healing and getting your life back to normal.
Contact a personal injury lawyer at Silverthorne Attorneys to start your case. Consultations are free!