Personal Injury Tips

• REPORT THE ACCIDENT IMMEDIATELY If it is a car accident, call the police. If it is an accident at a business or store, tell the manager or whomever works there, and get their full name and title.
• GET MEDICAL TREATMENT.  Do not try to be your own doctor and think that it can wait. Go to an emergency room at a hospital if you have to.
• CONTACT AN ATTORNEY.  Hire an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
• NOTE WHAT HAPPENED.  Write a detailed summary of all facts surrounding the accident. (Only give this to your attorney.)
• SAVE ALL PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, and mark them with some type of identification tag. This may mean the shoes involved in a trip and fall accident, the receipt for products purchased at a store where you fell, or material or foreign objects which caused a fall.
• TAKE PHOTOS of all damages. This means damages to any motor vehicle, motorcycle, etc. Take photos of your injuries right away and at different times like once a week. The injuries will look different over time. Also in the case of bruises they will fade over time but may be evidence of serious internal injury that you cannot see from the outside. Be sure to develop these pictures immediately. If they do not come out well, retake the photographs before the physical injuries have healed. If a dangerous condition caused a fall, take pictures of the dangerous condition before it is changed or repaired.
• FIND WITNESSES.  Obtain and save the names of all witnesses and persons involved in an accident. Be sure to get the telephone number and address of the witnesses.
• DO NOT DISCUSS YOUR CASE WITH ANYONE.  You should only discuss your case with our firm's personnel.  First and foremost, do not speak to any person from any insurance company about your case.  This prohibition includes your own insurance company.  Please inform any insurance adjusters or insurance company representatives that contact you that you are already represented by counsel and then refer them to our offices if they wish to discuss the case.  Especially do not give  a statement.
• KEEP A JOURNAL of how you are doing with your injuries and how they are affecting you.
• AVOID GAPS IN TIME BETWEEN MEDICAL TREATMENTS. A long period of time between medical appointments is used by the defense to argue that the later treatment is not related to the accident. Also be sure to give each doctor you see an accurate history of all of the physical and mental problems experienced as a result of the accident.
• DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING without the approval of your lawyer. Insurance companies and adjusters frequently request people to sign authorizations to obtain information or releases of all claims. Be sure to show these documents to your attorney before signing them.