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For most people, their only experience dealing with the legal system may be showing up for a jury duty or fighting a speeding ticket. However, for anyone who has suffered an injury, the civil court system may seem confusing to navigate. This is why so many people who are injured hire an experienced Philadelphia personal injury attorney to handle their claim. You attorney may be able to get you the maximum recovery while letting you focus on getting back to your normal life.
Your attorney can handle the complex legal process, deal with insurance companies, and fight for you to get a fair settlement offer. However, there are still things you can do to quickly resolve your claim and strengthen your case. If you act quickly, make sure you keep all relevant material, and record some basic information, your personal injury case may be resolved sooner than you think.
Preparing for your Philadelphia Personal Injury Case
There are simple things you can do to prepare your personal injury case even before contacting your attorney. Immediately after you are injured, you should focus on getting medical treatment. However, if you are able to, you should take note of what is going on around you. This includes:
- Time and date;
- Weather conditions;
- Where the injury occurred;
- Possible witnesses;
- Individuals involved in the injury or accident;
- Injuries to others and their property;
- Statements of witnesses or other parties;
- Signs of alcohol, drugs, or other impairment; and
- Warning signs in the area.
When you are able to, you should write down these observations, and any other observations or thoughts you had leading up to the incident, and since the injury. If you are able to, you may want to take some photos or a video of the event with your phone, to record what the scene looked like, and capture important information. Video or photo evidence is increasingly available now that so many people have a smartphone at their disposal. This evidence can be invaluable to your personal injury claim.
Act Quickly
After you have sought medical attention for your injury, and are able to do so, you should contact your personal injury attorney. There are many reasons why contacting an attorney sooner rather than later can be a benefit to your case. Once you talk to an attorney, they can immediately begin work on your case. The sooner they start, the sooner you can receive compensation for your injury.
Additionally, once you talk to a lawyer, they will be able to advise you on limiting your communication with the other parties involved, including insurance representatives. This will prevent you from accidentally saying something that will hurt your case, and decrease your recovery. This will also save you the time and hassle of dealing with the endless letters and phone calls from the insurance companies, other defendants, and their lawyers.
Keep an Organized File
Another easy way to help prepare your case is by keeping track of all relevant records. After an injury or accident, you may soon be overwhelmed with letters, bills, medical records, insurance company requests, settlement offers, property repair bills, and legal documents. You may be tempted to throw out these papers, but they all may be relevant to your case. You don’t necessarily have to read them all, and evaluate the language, but you should keep them organized.
These records may be important for your attorney to help evaluate the value of your case, the extent of your damages, and help them win your case. The easiest way to keep track of all these records is to get small filing cabinet. This can be divided between medical records; bills; police documents; insurance documents; pay stubs; or other, depending on the case. As soon as you get a letter in the mail or an order from the doctor, you can look it over, and file it under the right tab. Then, when you talk to your attorney, you can hand over the documents so they can more easily evaluate your case, and seek the maximum recovery.
Beware of Social Media
It is also important to consider things that can hurt your personal injury case. One of these hazards includes social media. After an injury, many people may want to comment about their injuries, or the defendants who caused the injury through social media. This includes Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. The problem is that these posts are generally available to the defendants in your personal injury case. They may take the things you say out of context and use them against you.
Social Media
What if you already posted?
Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers
If you have been injured or if a loved one has been injured, the law firm of Gilman & Bedigian may be able to help. Our attorneys have years of experience dealing with personal injury and medical malpractice cases in Pennsylvania, to get our clients the compensation they deserve. Please do not hesitate to contact us today for a free consultation.