What You Should Do Before You File A Personal Injury Claim

If possible, you should try to get as much information you can after you've been in an accident where you have been injured. The information will be useful if you intend to file a personal injury claim against another person, insurance company, or business. Here are the types of information you should collect.

Document Scene

Whether you are involved in a slip and fall accident or a car crash, you will want to document the accident as best as you can. If you have a cell phone that takes pictures, you should get it out and take as many pictures as you can of the scene. On a slip and fall accident, make sure you get pictures of the floor area where you fell – especially if the area doesn't have any warning signs that the floor was slippery. At a car accident, you want to pay special attention to skid marks and road signs.

Document Injuries and Financial Loss

All the injuries you have suffered should be photographed. Keep all your doctor, emergency room, hospital, and any other bills you have received for treating your injuries in one place. You should also document any lost wages and earnings as a result of those injuries. This information is necessary to determine the total financial losses you have suffered - and may continue to suffer - that you are seeking to have covered in the lawsuit.

Document Conversations

People you intend to sue might be more talkative about what happened right after the accident happened than they will many months later in court - and after they have consulted their own attorney. If the other party admits to making a mistake, write this down while the conversation is still fresh in your mind - paying special attention to what they said and how they said it. Your lawyer can find this information to be very useful when they question the party you are suing on the witness stand.

Collect Witness' Names

You'll want to get the names and contact information of as many witnesses as you can that will support your version of the events. The witnesses can provide quality testimony in a court of law to show that you weren't the one who caused the accident to happen. Witnesses can fill in the testimony that you might not be able to provide and can support that which you can – like affirming that the other driver was the one who went through a red light or a stop sign.

Contact an Attorney

You should contact a personal injury attorney right away. An experienced personal injury attorney will be knowledgeable of what is required in your state and municipality to properly file a lawsuit. There are usually specific forms that have to be filled out and submitted within specified time periods - an attorney will make sure these requirements are met. Contact a company like A Personal Injury Network for more information.