If You’ve Been Hurt…

If You’ve Been Hurt…

If you’ve been injured, the first thing you should do is seek medical help for your injuries. If you are able, tell your attending physician about all of your injuries so that a record of the injuries you’ve sustained can be made. This will better aid those who treat you following your accident, and it will also create evidence that the accident caused these injuries, which is absolutely needed in a personal injury case. You or a family member should keep records of all your medical visits relating to your injuries, and take pictures of the injuries, too. Keep a journal of the pain you experience as a result of your injuries, any times that your injuries kept you from doing your favorite hobbies or activities, working, or completing day-to-day activities. Make notes of your conversations with doctors.

If you can, get the names, phone numbers, and addresses of anyone who witnessed the event. Get license plate numbers (if applicable), insurance information, and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of those involved. Take pictures of the accident or get someone to do it for you. Make sure the pictures show different angles and as much of the accident as possible.

If your injury stems from normal usage of a defective product, keep the item. Don’t return it to the store you bought it from. Don’t return it to the manufacturer. Put it away in a safe place and don’t take it apart or make any changes to it. Experts hired by your attorney will have to closely examine the item, and it needs to be exactly the way it was when you were injured.

Your next step is to contact an attorney experienced in Idaho personal injury law. When you hire an attorney, the chance that you will be able to recover damages is greatly increased. Your attorney can advise you on vital junctures in the process.

Finally, don’t speak to an insurance company representative without getting your attorney’s advice. Insurance companies are not interested in being fair with you or your case; they are there to make money, which they can’t do if they have to pay you damages. Insurance companies will attempt to avoid payment if they can, or, at the very least, pay you the lowest amount of money they can. Insurance companies will attempt to get you to settle quickly in order to perhaps pay a lower amount than you may be entitled to. Remember: once you’ve agreed to settlement amount, you cannot ask for more compensation, so it is important to get your attorney’s advice before talking with an insurance company representative. Your injuries may be more severe or extensive than you first realized, so, though the process of going through a personal injury claim may seem to take a long time or be moving slowly, it is in your best interest to listen to your attorney’s advice through the process.

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