Personal Injury Case Checklist: What You Should Do
Personal injury cases are complex. When you have experienced a personal injury due to the negligence of another party, you may not know what to do or how to move forward as it relates to what’s best for a legal case done in your name.
To help navigate what steps to take in the immediate hours and days after an injury, we’ve assembled a personal injury case checklist that can help improve your chances of achieving the best result.
1. Document the Accident Scene
Where you were injured, try to write down and photograph as much of the scene as possible. Note the date, time, location, weather, road conditions, and any other details you may see fit. Take photos of vehicles and the road if your injury stemmed from a motor vehicle accident.
Ensure you have all involved and witnesses’ names and contact information. Try to get all this information as early as possible. Do not delay. Your Oshawa personal injury lawyer will need this information.
2. Seek Immediate Medical Attention
A personal injury case will involve looking at how much a person has been injured. Don’t forego seeking medical attention.
When you see your doctor, go to the emergency room, or obtain medical care, official medical records are created. They make for critical evidence in building a personal injury case. Seek out any records of medical treatments and related expenses.
3. Report The Incident To All Relevant Parties
Do not go out of your way to hide a personal injury. Report what happened to all appropriate authorities. This starts with filing a police report, obtaining a copy of the report, and ensuring it’s accurate.
Report your injury to your employer if it occurred at work or will interfere with your ability to work. Report the injury to your property manager if the incident occurred due to their negligence. Be honest at all times and do so promptly.
4. Follow All Doctor Recommendations
It’s strongly recommended to follow everything you are told to do by your doctor or medical practitioner to a tee. If they recommend specific care, don’t refuse it.
Furthermore, delaying medical treatment can cause injuries to worsen. In a personal injury case, you must demonstrate that you have tried to recover and get better from your injuries.
5. Use Any Insurance Benefits Available To You
Until your case is resolved, any expenses you incur in getting medical care or otherwise will be paid out-of-pocket. For this reason, use it if you have suffered a personal injury and have any insurance available to help cover expenses.
This will help ease the financial burden of treatment and daily living until the case is settled. When settling a claim, these expenses can be recovered for you or your insurer.
6. Contact A Lawyer At Your Earliest Chance
A personal injury lawyer consultation often costs nothing. To sit down and talk about your case, you will know with certainty what is left to do on your injury case checklist, and they will ensure your rights are protected every step of the way.
An experienced lawyer in personal injury law has navigated cases like yours before and can aid in negotiating settlements with various parties, ensuring you receive fair and adequate compensation.
7. Don’t Sign Anything And Be Patient
An insurance company or privileged party may want to settle a potential legal case with you quickly. Do not sign any documents. Do not agree to anything. Not without consulting your injury lawyer first. By settling early, you may be giving up the true value of what your injury case is worth.
For this reason, one must also be patient. These cases can take months to resolve, but an experienced lawyer working on your behalf will diligently ensure the result you receive is fair.
8. Keep an Ongoing Record of Damages
Tally all damages suffered as the result of your injury. A detailed record is needed to accurately calculate what is rightfully owed to you and help determine fair compensation. Damages you can note first-hand are economic, i.e. medical expenses, medications, employment wages lost, rehabilitation costs, mental health counselling, property repairs or replacement, and costs to increase property accessibility.
Depending on your lawyer’s input, they may calculate the cost of non-economic damages, i.e. physical pain, emotional distress, lost earning potential, and lost enjoyment of life.
9. Focus on Your Recovery
Lastly, the most important point. Focus on your recovery. After you have connected with a personal injury lawyer, providing updates as they come along, their job is to deal with the preparation and stress associated with a personal injury claim. It’s your job to recover.
Making a claim and the ensuing process of being involved in a legal case can feel stressful and overwhelming to some people, and if that’s you, try not to let it weigh on you. Focus on what you can control and your recovery.
