According to the National Safety Council, there were over 45 million injuries in the US in 2019. Personal injury law is the field of law that handles cases of injury caused by negligence. These injuries put a person in significant pain and suffering while incurring a significant financial burden.
If you have a personal injury claim, winning compensation is not as easy as simply presenting your side of the story to a judge. You will need documents to strengthen your case and evidence, ranging from medical bills to account summaries showing lost wages. A personal injury attorney can help you compile this evidence and get the compensation you deserve.
Building Your Case
Immediately after an injury, it’s important to seek assistance from a medical professional right away. You need to be diagnosed and form a treatment plan to heal and get you back on your feet. In a personal injury case, a long wait time between the incident and seeking medical help may raise eyebrows.
Tell the doctor everything about the incident and your medical history. This is important for your treatment and helps the doctor make sure he or she does not miss anything. Once they have diagnosed you and given you a treatment plan, follow the plan to the letter. Failing to follow the doctor’s orders will lead to ineffective treatment, a longer healing time, and can result in lower compensation from insurance companies for the injury.
Don’t miss any doctor’s appointments. If you do, make sure to reschedule it ASAP. Hold onto all of the documents you receive from the doctor/s treating you. These will be good reference points for you during your treatment and will serve as evidence for a personal injury case.
Gather Evidence
Once you have decided to pursue a personal injury case, hire an experienced and knowledgeable attorney who suits your needs. They will help you gather more evidence and guide you in creating a legal plan. Personal injury law is a difficult realm to operate in without the assistance of a personal injury attorney.
If there is a police report from the incident that caused your injury, get your hands on it and file it away. Give a copy to the lawyer, too. This is especially helpful in car accident cases. You and your lawyer will also need to find witnesses of the accident. Their sworn testimony will be crucial to winning the case.
Make sure to get any photos or video you have of the accident and the resulting injury. Car accident attorneys, especially, will be able to utilize photos and videos to show the damage done in an accident. If there is surveillance footage of the accident, the attorney can subpoena the owner to use it as evidence, too.
Other than the documents given to you by your medical team, make sure to have a copy of every medical bill and insurance claim you have that’s related to the accident. Otherwise, how will you be able to come up with a sum for your compensation? You will also need to document lost wages with bank statements, checks from your work, and direct deposit receipts (that is, if you are seeking compensation for lost wages).
It’s also important to document the non-financial pain and suffering you experience because of the injury. Keep a personal journal to document your emotional stress and day-to-day struggles. For example, perhaps you missed a family event because you were incapacitated. There needs to be some record of this. A witness greatly helps this cause.
Failing to collect medical documentation, bills, bank statements, and witnesses will hurt your case and put you on the back foot. If you don’t sell medical attention right away or ignore doctors’ orders, you will also be at a disadvantage. Most importantly, if you don’t hire the services of a personal injury lawyer, your chances of winning are negligible.
For professional and compassionate personal injury attorneys in the Olympia, WA area, contact Putnam, Lieb, Potvin, Daily Attorneys at Law. You will receive high-quality legal help and will not be charged unless you receive compensation. For more information on our legal services for personal injury law, car accident law, and workers’ comp, visit our website or call today.