7 Things To Bring When You Meet With Your Personal Injury Attorney
An accident can happen at any second, and nobody is ever ready for a personal injury incident. However, these cases are more frequent than what you imagine. After an accident, you should get medical help, and get better. Once you are ready to speak up, you need to get a checklist. There you will have the things that you need to give to your personal injury lawyer. These are the main things to consider when you meet with your personal injury attorney.
Things to Bring When You Meet With Your Personal Injury Attorney
- Pictures
- Police Report
- Medical Records
- Insurance Information
- Witness Information and Reports
- Agreement letter (if applicable)
- Receipts and Paystubs (if applicable)
If you keep reading this article, you will find about the specifics for each item.
Here at Malloy Law Offices, LLC we like to tell our clients something simple: the more information about your case, the better the compensation for you. It is that simple. Nonetheless, gathering all those documents is not easy whatsoever. There are certain insights that only a professional team will be able to gather.
You might have suffered a car accident, or a work injury, or a medical malpractice, or a slip & fall accident. Whatever the case is, you will need to have some information to rely on the lawyer, in order to start your case. These are the main things to keep in mind when you meet with your personal injury attorney.
1. Pictures
If you suffered a personal injury case, you might have taken some pictures of the accident. These images will be a direct proof of evidence of what happened. It could be a picture of the property damage (car accident), or of the premises’ conditions (premises liability), or even about the work conditions (workers’ compensation).
It is strictly important to have audiovisual material about the incident, in order to avoid mixed stories. Insurance companies are not your friends, and they will use and say anything to take the case against you. That’s why a picture or even a video of the accident will help you ge the compensation you are entitled to.
2. Police Report
After a motor-vehicle accident or even sometimes a slip & fall or premises liability case, police arrives to the scene. If you see the police at the scene, that means that either you called them or the other party involved called. However, do not expect that other people will do the work for you, at the scene. You shouldn’t believe that someone else will call the police, or the ambulance.
Once the police arrives, it is important to make an approach to the police officer and ask for a copy of the police report. Sometimes they will not give you one, but they will give you a report number. That is just fine. You will need to get that police report or police report number ready when you meet with your personal injury lawyer.
3. Medical Records
In a personal injury case, it is pretty normal to have you visiting E.R., patient first, or another type of medical attention. After that first visit to the medical specialist, as a result of the accident, the insurance company will be willing to cover it. Nevertheless, that is only a fraction of the total sum in medical bills.
No matter when you had the personal injury accident, we strongly recommend you to be responsible with your doctor visits and doctor documents. You should have a folder where you can keep every record and bill. Once you meet with your personal injury attorney, they will take care of those. You will only need to focus on recovery.
4. Insurance Information
This is a very common mistake that we see, especially in car accident cases. Our legal team has seen clients providing only their own information. This is a mistake. After an accident, you should gather the other party’s insurance information. This means, getting their full name, the insurance company’s name, and maybe policy number, as well.
The process of gathering the other party’s insurance company will make your case a good one to pursue. Your personal injury claim will be against the other person’s insurance company. Another fear that we usually perceive in clients is the lack of an insurance at all, or having Medicare or Medicaid. If that applies to you, talk to our personal injury lawyer.
5. Witness Information
The only brightside of a personal injury is that there are people out there that want to get you the compensation and justice you deserve. One example are experienced and professional personal injury attorney teams. Another good example are family members, friends, or even any person that might have been a witness of your case.
Let’s say that you were driving on the highway, and all of the sudden you got rear ended by another car. Moreover, let’s imagine that you were with your spouse or friend on the car. That person besides you, will not only have a separate personal injury case, but will be a first hand witness that will help you get your compensation.
6. Store Report and Agreement letter (If Applicable When You Meet With Your Personal Injury Attorney)
A store report is basically a document stating what happened. If you get injured in a store, you need to report your injury. Depending on the seriousness of your injuries, ask for the store manager, center management or security so that the incident is documented. Later, take the report with you when you meet with your personal injury attorney.
That store report might be your golden ticket for your premises liability case. In that document, you will find the manager’s voice accepting the negligence and carelessness of the premises. Moreover, your lawyer will be able to solicitate the footage of the surveillance cameras that are fitted throughout shopping centers.
7. Receipts and Paystubs (If Applicable When You Meet With Your Personal Injury Attorney)
Your financial information might feel just as private as your medical records, but receipts and paystubs will help to get the compensation you are entitled to. Furthermore, we will be able to cover your past, current, and future lost wages. Make sure you bring your financial records of any costs you incurred from your injury.
Time to Meet With Your Personal Injury Attorney
Now that you know how the process works, you need to get legal representation. You already have all the things that you will need to bring when you meet with your personal injury attorney. Here at Malloy Law Offices, LLC, we will make sure to review every piece of information, and more. We will also gather those documents that you are missing. Do not take it from us, but from those that we have represented. See our testimonials. Contact us online or call (888) 982-0906.