Steps to Take After Suffering a Personal Injury

A sudden, unexpected injury can send your life spinning off course in an instant, causing medical bills to pile up at the same time you’re unable to return to work. Serious injuries are even more distressing when they’re caused by someone else’s careless or reckless actions and the result is disruption or devastation to your life.

If another person or business entity caused you to suffer a serious injury, a successful claim for damages like your medical bills, lost wages, and compensation for pain and suffering provides financial relief plus a sense of justice and accountability. Sadly, not all personal injury claims go smoothly. Insurance companies rarely pay out full amounts on claims easily. An experienced personal injury attorney can maximize your chance of a successful claim, but taking the right steps after you suffer an injury is often the key to ensuring you receive the maximum amount of compensation available to you.

Steps to Take at the Scene of a Personal Injury

Depending on the nature or severity of the injury, you may be unable to move about safely or you may be unconscious or incapacitated. But if you can use your cell phone—or hand it to a companion or helpful bystander to use for you—it becomes a key tool for documenting evidence at the scene. Use your phone to do the following after an injury:

• First, call 911 to request an ambulance or make arrangements to go to an ER directly from the scene. If the injury was caused by a car accident or criminal action request the police
• Then, use your phone’s camera to snap photos of anything relevant to the injury such as damaged vehicles in a car accident, a wet floor in a store, or a defective product
• Take photos of any visible injuries
• Add the contact information of anyone involved such as other drivers or a store or restaurant owner
• Ask for an accident or incident report from the police or the business owner
• Add the contact information of any eyewitnesses

Eyewitnesses to an accident can provide critical testimony, especially in injury cases in which there’s no security or surveillance video available, but often they disappear from the scene without leaving a name or number.

Steps to Take After Leaving the Scene of the Accident or Injury

When you leave the scene, it’s essential to your health and your accident claim to seek medical treatment immediately. This not only minimizes any threat to your physical health but also documents crucial evidence that you suffered an injury directly due to the cause, whether it was a fall, a product injury, a car accident, medical malpractice, a dog bite, or any other actionable cause.

At the hospital, tell the doctor about every symptom, even if it seems minor. Ask for a detailed medical report listing your injuries, the doctor’s treatment recommendations, and your prognosis.

Steps to Take in The Days After a Personal Injury

After your medical examination, be sure to carefully follow your doctor’s instructions and keep every bill and injury-related receipt. Gather your evidence and seek a free consultation with a New Haven personal injury attorney with a track record of success in similar cases. It’s best to hire an attorney before speaking to insurance company representatives from the at-fault party’s insurance company. Then, direct all communication to them with your attorney.

In many cases, the insurance company quickly offers a low settlement before the victim knows the full extent of the costs of the injury. If you accept a fast settlement, it means you cannot file a lawsuit and may lose the chance of a much higher settlement or jury award later.

Finally, be sure to avoid posting on social media during your claim because often the defendant or the insurance adjuster on the case uses photos and comments out of context against injury victims.

By taking the right steps after an injury, you can maximize the chances of successfully recovering compensation in your personal injury case.