Suffering a personal injury can be a very scary, uncertain, and overwhelming time. No one expects to be a victim of a personal injury, and therefore most people do not know the right and the wrong actions to take or not to take after experiencing such an injury. However, taking the right steps and avoiding the wrong ones can make a big difference when it comes to personal injury cases and fair compensation for pain, suffering and related medical bills.
Seek Medical Attention
The most important step to take after experiencing a personal injury is to seek medical attention. Even if the victim believes the injury is minor, or thinks that monitoring the injury for a few days might be beneficial before seeking medical care, it is important to get the injury examined by a doctor. The sooner someone’s injuries are examined by a doctor and documented the more believable to they are. For more serious injuries, starting treatment right away can lead to a better and quicker recovery.
Seek Representation
After your injuries have been stabilized, you will want to seek the representation of a qualified and experienced personal injury attorney. The attorney should schedule you for a consultation to determine whether or not you have a valid claim for a personal injury case. If so, the attorney and his or her team will begin to investigating the events that lead up to you suffering your personal injury. Securing a personal injury attorney will also allow them to speak to the insurance company or any other involved parties on behalf of the victim, making this time less stressful for the injury victim as they focus on recovering from their injuries.
Keep a Paper Trail
It is also important for the injured victim to keep track of medical bills, any payments made on those bills, and appointments. They should also document and take notes on doctor’s visits and even their mileage to those visits, as mileage can sometimes be reimbursable within the personal injury case. Victims who keep better documentation regarding their injuries and care are more likely to receive fair compensation.
Do Not Take Responsibility
After a personal injury occurs, it is very important that the victim not take personal responsibility for the accident. This can happen a lot after a car accident where it is unclear whose fault the accident is. If a victim jumps out of their car and apologizes to everyone for the accident, they are potentially damaging their personal injury case. Sometimes it is not until months later when the at-fault driver is discovered.
Do Not Talk to Anyone
Other than the victim’s own lawyer and medical providers, it is imperative a victim not discuss their case with anyone from their insurance company or the insurance company of other involved parties. Doing so can potentially damage a personal injury case. Should the victim receive a request for information from such insurance companies, they should politely direct them to their own attorney with any questions or clarifications. Personal injury victims also should not sign anything without first consulting their own attorney.
Be Careful of Social Media
Not only have potential employers become wise to using social media to their advantage for their hiring practices, insurance companies and lawyers have as well for their own reasons. Many personal injury lawyers these days recommend that their clients completely remove themselves for all social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Anything posted on these sites can potentially be used against personal injury victims to the advantage of the at-fault parties. If a victim chooses not to delete their personal social media accounts they need to be very careful of what they are posting on such sites.
Taking the right steps and avoiding the wrong steps after a personal injury occurs can be a little confusing. Once a victim contacts and hires a personal injury attorney, their attorney can direct them more in the direction of what to do and what not to do. Heading this advice will increase the chances of the victim getting the fair compensation they deserve.
This article was written by Ty Whitworth for the team at justcolleges.com; they can be of great assistance in making the move from college to the working world.