If you have been injured in an accident then you may have a personal injury case that you should be claiming. Too many people personal injury cases slide and don’t do anything about being harmed but if you are not at fault, then chances are you could be awarded some serious damages for your trouble. If your accident has recently happened then there are a few things that you should do right away.
Write it all down
It’s a good idea to write down exactly what happened and how you remember it, as soon as possible. Once the shock wears off and the memories fade, we can tend to forget little details that may be very important to the case. Even before talking to a personal injury lawyer, sit down and write out every detail, starting from before the accident was even imminent. Once you do see a personal injury attorney, they will be able to let you know what it pertinent to the case and what can be left out but you are better off having too much information than not enough. It doesn’t have to be a professional writing piece. Just an honest account of the accident, exactly the way you remember it. Try not to embellish or under exaggerate but just write the facts. Also try to keep emotions out of it as these can cloud your judgement and cause a lawyer or a judge to look unfavorable on your situation. A statement full of facts and actual happenings look a lot better to a legal professional, especially if they are trying to get to the bottom of what really happened.
Talk to a personal injury lawyer
The next thing you want to do, is take that account to a personal injury lawyer and get a free consultation in order to find out if you should make continue with filing the claim or not. Sometimes there’s not enough evidence to support your claim and the lawyer may tell you that it is not worth the trouble because it will probably be denied due to lack of proof or evidence. The insurance company and the person or persons that harmed you are sure to fight the charges so you have to have all of your evidence lined up. Pictures of the scene, written statements from witnesses and doctors will all be helpful to prove your case.
Do what your lawyer says
If your lawyer decides that there is enough to go on, he or she may have you sit through interviews, lines of questioning and possibly find witnesses. You may think that once you have a personal injury lawyer set up then you can sit back and let your lawyer do the work. This is far from true. They are going to need a lot of information from you. If you have been physically harmed or even emotionally, you are going to need to get documents and statements from doctors or medical professionals as well as possible medical evaluations and interviews. There is a lot to be done in order to win your case and you need to be willing to help in whatever way possible.
Going through a personal injury case can be a lot of work but if your lawyer thinks you have a case and you are willing to put in the work, then you may be able to come out of it with a decent settlement.
If you are afraid of the court room, the good news is that you may never go to trial. If the at fault party decides to take responsibility then you will probably be able to settle in mediation and the case will never have to go before a judge. However, you have the ability to decline the settlement amount if you or your lawyer do not feel that it is a fair offer and either the at fault party can up their offer of the case can be taken to trial. Even if you do have to go to trial, chances are you will not have to speak much unless you are put on the stand. This is where you can allow your lawyer to take over and get the job done right.