5 Easy Ways to Help Your Personal Injury Attorney Earn the Maximum Settlement Key Signs You’ve Got a Traumatic Brain Injury
If you’ve been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, hiring a personal injury attorney is the best move in earning compensation for your suffering. Your lawyer will manage all the heavy lifting in helping you recover damages. This involves negotiating with insurance companies and navigating the legal process.
However, your personal injury attorney needs your cooperation to maximize the settlement. Success or failure depends on your ability to give them everything they need to build a strong case. In this post, we want to provide five crucial ways to help your attorney earn the maximum compensation.
Let’s dive in.
1. Clearly Define Your Needs
First, you need to make it crystal clear what you’re hoping to gain in your personal injury case. Each case is unique and has many moving parts. You and your attorney must be on the same page from day one. In the initial consultation, you’ll need to be prepared to answer the following questions:
- What type of injury did you sustain?
- How severe was the injury?
- What hardships are you facing due to the injury?
- Where did the incident occur?
- Who was the at-fault party?
- What medical costs have you faced due to the injury?
- What other damages are you looking to earn compensation for?
- Lost wages
- Future medical treatment
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship?
Unlike medical bills, lost wages, and property, some damages might not have a clear dollar amount attached to them. These are known as “non-economic damages” – and may include pain and suffering, loss of companionship, reduced quality of life, and so on. Your personal injury attorney will help you calculate the damages you are seeking.
Laying out your goals for the personal injury case is very important in the initial consultation. Take your time and prepare beforehand.
2. Provide As Many Details About the Incident As Possible
The details of the incident that resulted in your injury are the bread and butter of the claim. The goal is to attribute liability and build the case.
For example, say you were hit by a vehicle that ran a red light. You are now the victim of a pedestrian accident. Following the accident, you’d need to file a police report and collect evidence.
The evidence would include (but is not limited to):
– The driver’s first and last name
– The driver’s license plate
– The location of the accident
– Road conditions
– The clothes you were wearing
– Contact information of witnesses
Pictures are going to be very important in building your claim. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to snap pictures on your phone. Try to capture images of the road conditions, the vehicle, any injuries you sustained, and so on.
Strong personal injury cases are built on solid evidence. The more you provide your attorney, the better off you’ll be.
3. Don’t Miss Doctor’s Appointments
This might seem like a no-brainer. You’re filing a personal injury claim; you must be injured. Getting better needs to be your top priority. Missing appointments and not taking your doctor’s recommendations sends a bad message.
For one, it’s bad for your recovery. Two, it indicates you’re not as injured as you might claim. The at-fault party’s attorney and insurance companies will take this into account. Always remember, insurance companies’ primary goal is to minimize the amount of money they have to pay victims. They have no problem using your actions against you. Take your medical treatment seriously.
4. Keep Records of Everything
Earning compensation for a personal injury boils down to documentation. Your goal is to recoup every single penny you had to pay due to the injury. Start a folder in your filing cabinet for everything related to the case. This would likely include (but is not limited to):
– The police report
– Your journal of the incident
– Insurance information
– All medical bills
– All medical estimates for treatment
– Treatment journal
– Medical examination and specialist reports
– Victim statements
– Repair invoices (for property damage)
– Receipts for all payments made (medications, co-payments, equipment needed, etc.)
– Pay stubs
– Workers’ compensation documents
– W-2 forms
Documentation is the best way to help your personal injury attorney. If possible, try to organize it in chronological order.
5. Smart About Communication
After suffering an injury, choosing your words wisely is very important. You may be questioned by your insurance company and that of the at-fault party. Insurance companies have all sorts of tactics to place blame on you. This includes the questions they ask and how they ask them. Do not make any indication that the accident was your fault and never agree to a recorded statement without an attorney.
Keep communication about the incident between you and your personal injury lawyer. You can always have your attorney present when you speak with insurance companies.
You also need to be cautious about how you discuss the accident with others. Your conversations might not be as private as you think. Lastly, do not post anything on social media related to the accident. The defense of the at-fault party will look into this and may use your words against you.
Wrap Up
The goal is a personal injury case is to get the maximum settlement as quickly as possible. Much of the process depends on your ability to help your attorney. In addition to providing all necessary documentation, there are many things you can do to set yourself up for success.
Your attorney will likely advise you on how to conduct yourself and make the most of your case. Hopefully, this post has provided some good insight on personal injury cases and everything you can do as a client to help your attorney.
Samuel R. Carl is the co-founder of Midwest Injury Lawyers, a full-service personal injury law firm that specializes in serious accidents involving car accidents, bike accidents, nursing home abuse, medical negligence. With over 10 years of experience in the personal injury law field, Sam spent years protecting the rights of injured victims and their families, securing millions of dollars for his clients through jury verdicts and settlements.