If you are injured in a car accident, a skilled personal injury attorney will handle the legal aspects of your claim and allow you to focus on rebuilding your health and your life. While your car accident attorney can do much of the work “behind the scenes,” you should provide the following things in order help your lawyer secure the best possible resolution for your case.
1) Accident Scene Documentation
Take photographs of all vehicles involved in the collision, making sure to capture all visible damage. Take pictures of debris or skid marks in the road, if any. Obtain contact information including names, phone numbers and addresses for any witnesses at the accident scene. It is often extremely difficult to obtain these important pieces of evidence after leaving the scene of the accident.
2) Complete Medical History
Florida law requires that the victim prove that the automobile accident caused injury “within a reasonable degree of medical certainty.” While this may seem easy or obvious to you, as the person hurt in the car accident, convincing an insurance adjuster, judge, or jury requires testimony and medical records from your treating doctors. It is very important that your lawyer have full awareness of all the doctors you are currently seeing, as well as knowledge of all medical professionals that have treated you for similar conditions in the past. If you have seen a doctor for similar pain complaints before the car crash, you may still have a claim for aggravation of your pre-existing condition, but your lawyer must be informed of the prior treatment in order to handle your claim properly. Likewise, all of your doctors need to be aware of the car accident injuries, as well as any prior injuries or pre-existing conditions.
3) Your Patience
The legal system moves slowly. Insurance carriers move slower. Proper presentation of your claim requires a great deal of supporting information from your doctors, which takes time to prepare. Many insurance carriers will extend “low-ball” settlement offers in the early days of a claim in hopes that a financially-distressed victim will settle before the true extent of their injuries are revealed. Often the most difficult thing a lawyer must ask of a client is patience.
Your personal injury attorney is a powerful ally in the fight against the insurance carriers. Arm your lawyer with the tools they will need to win the battle for you. Contact an experienced car accident lawyer at Michles & Booth today for a free consultation.
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