What To Do When Filing For Personal Injury: Basic Steps
By Space Coast Daily // June 23, 2021
Personal injury goes beyond incurring physical impairments and disabilities. It can affect you emotionally and mentally as well, and impact other aspects of your life like employment, or not being able to accomplish regular routinary tasks as you used to.
Yet not many are aware of the steps to be done when these mishaps occur. On that account, here are a few of the immediate actions to take soon after a personal injury.
Personal Injury: What You Should Do First
1. Seek Immediate Medical Attention
Do not tarry regaring this subject, even if you feel as though the injury wrought upon you is one that is minor. Of course, if said injury is severe, that is all the more reason for you to take this matter seriously and urgently.
Firstly, it will be to your benefit that you be attended to, for your injuries to be treated promptly and properly. Secondly, the defendant and his or her legal representatives may use this “delay” against you.
They may put emphasis on how negligence to seek immediate medical attention is the main cause of why your injuries worsened. Therefore, lifting the sole responsibility from them. Or worse, than the delay was done with the intent to worsen your injury and stake a higher claim amount.
2. Call Your Personal Injury Attorney
As this is a legal case, go to your personal injury lawyer Baltimore MD trusts. They will be your guide in what to do in relation to legal proceedings, documentation, and related transactions. They are your first line of defense, and very literally at that, to ensure that your case is brought to as close to a win as possible.
Moreover, having a law advocate legally supporting you throughout this ordeal is an approach towards making sure you do not miss out on details that can lead to technicalities.
3. Do Not Speak With Other Persons Regarding Your Claim-Filing
This is an error that plaintiffs tend to commit without knowing— discussing and sharing particulars of their case to persons other than their legal advisors. We understand that friends and family are your sources of encouragement and are shoulders to lean on, especially during trying times as this.
However, legal dealings are to be handled by law practitioners alone, so as to avoid accidentally leaking information about your case to the defendant’s party. There will be scheduled appointments for such conversations and negotiations with the defendant where certain specifics will be laid on the table. But these have to be done with the aid and supervision of your lawyer.
4. Collection And Securing Of Documents
From medical bills, treatment procedures, signed recommendations for therapy, to medical leaves from work, keep all of these documents in a secure location. Keep them organized. That way, it will be convenient to look for them and pull them out should they be needed during any part of your case-filing.
Additionally, create copies of each one. The copies are for you to store in your own file, as proof of existence of the same.
5. Be Present In Investigations, Meetings, Negotiations, And Later, The Trial
Do not be absent in one or any of the stated proceedings. Your presence, and your timeliness in attending every one of them, can be counted towards you. And your absence, against you. These seemingly small details can cause major negative shifts in the court’s decision.
Furthermore, get everything in writing. Agreements that are done by word-of-mouth are never an assurance, no matter how well-respected the medical practitioner or the medical facilitiy is. Even when it comes to talks with your legal team, you can have them sign and seal contracts. In fact, the best ones will have no qualms fulfilling this for you.
