Filing a personal injury claim is a long process that nobody enjoys. However, just filing it isn’t the end of the story. If you are filing for compensation, you’ll want to collect all the damages you can. And this will greatly depend on how you and your lawyer build your case, so let’s go over some of the most important things you must remember when you are building your case in order to maximize compensations: (Image Credit: Jcomp)
Get Medical Attention
The first step will always be to seek medical attention. No matter how obvious or obscure your injuries, you want a full medical report. Make sure that your doctor also does a check on your internal organs if there’s suspicion that there might be internal damages because there are injuries that might develop over time. You’ll also want to get the treatment plan and any additional treatment and recovery costs from your doctor because all of this goes towards your claim. On top of this, you’ll want to go for a check-up a while after the injury to make sure there isn’t anything developing that might have been missed the first time around. This is especially important with head trauma, as brain injuries might take years to manifest.
Don’t Make Exaggerated Claims
There’s a time and place to go overboard, and this isn’t it. Every claim you make needs to be completely supported by evidence and truthful. You can’t say that something happened or that your life has been impacted if that isn’t true. The moment the other side manages to prove that you’re not being truthful, your entire case will fall apart, and if you try to ask for too much compensation, they might take you to court and prove that you’re demanding far too much – potentially leaving you with nothing.
Get an Experienced Lawyer
No lawyer can be an expert in all legal cases. And for personal injury claims, there can be a big difference between what an experienced lawyer and one that is handling a personal injury for the first time can do for you. The experts of Warnett Hallen say that you need an experienced lawyer that can take your case all the way to court if needed. This is so important with claims because most of them just end up settling privately, but an experienced lawyer will know when to push for a court trial and get much better compensation for you.
Keep It Private
We overshare so much online these days. We tell people what we have for lunch and who we’re with every day, but when you’re handling a legal case – keep it to yourself. Anything you put online can – and will – be used against you. If you talk about your injuries, bad-mouth the other party or share any details about the case, it can be used against you. So just keep everything about the case between you and your lawyer. Don’t even talk to people outside of your immediate circle about it, because you never know who can hear.
Make Backups of Evidence
Evidence is what wins cases and claims and losing a piece of crucial evidence can leave you with nothing. For starters, you’ll want to make sure you have digital copies of everything stored both locally – for example on an external hard drive – and on a cloud. This way if something gets lost, you’ll still have it in the other place. You should also make hard physical copies of anything applicable, like photographs, statements, medical reports, and police reports. Make sure your lawyer has a copy of absolutely everything you have, and be very careful when filling out forms to make sure you don’t cause yourself a headache down the line.
Find Your Pace
On one hand, you want to be quick when making the claim. Get your evidence together and get the ball rolling. Waiting to file a claim might make you lose the window for the statute of limitations, so don’t wait. On the other hand, when you get your first offer for a settlement, even though you might be tempted to accept the sum, hold on and very carefully consider the offer. Is that all you can get? Does your lawyer think you can get more? What evidence does the other side have? Going too fast in this step might make you lose out on much bigger compensation down the line.
Handling a personal injury case can be a real headache, but if you have a good lawyer by your side and you know what you’re fighting for, it will all be worth it when you receive your fair compensation in the end.