The following is from a guest post by the Indianapolis Criminal Defense Attorneys of the Worldwide Attorney Network:
Document – Document – Document. This is the name of the game when one is involved in a personal injury claim. Insurance companies often use systems and programs such as Colossus to establish their “value” of a personal injury claim. One of the easiest ways to increase the value offered is to document such items as medical bills, travel mileage, prescription drug costs, and lost wages. Documentation can also be helpful to prove fault, or even possible fault in court.
In most cases, the first thing to do after an accident is to seek medical help, then the police, if they aren’t already involved. After that, an attorney should be contacted. This isn’t something that should be done weeks later, or once the doctor’s reports are evaluated. By contacting a lawyer immediately after the accident, a certain chain of events will be put into place. In most cases an accident investigator will be assigned to review and record the actual physical location of the incident. His expert witness testimony could help bring a positive outcome for the case if it goes to court.
If a lawyer isn’t contacted immediately after the injury and an investigator isn’t sent to record and document the scene of the injury, many important facts, evidence and information can be removed, altered or changed. For example, the loose railing on the stairs could have been repaired after a person fell or the poor lighting in a parking lot could have been fixed after an injury took place in the lot at night. These poorly maintained items could have been part of the cause of the accident. Without proper documentation by both the party involved prior to contact with a law firm and the investigating entity, these valuable aspects of the personal injury case could be lost.
Worldwide Attorney Network
Indianapolis, Indiana
317.572.7717