So, you’ve been injured in a car accident. What do you do now? That’s a good question, and the answer is critical to obtaining needed medical care and securing financial stability. For many car accident victims, pursuing a personal injury lawsuit is in the cards. After all, this may be the only way for you to find accountability and be awarded the compensation that you need.
Although legal action may be able to eventually provide you with some relief, you’re not guaranteed to win your case. You may come up against an aggressive defense that threatens to block your recovery. With that in mind, then, you need to carefully think about what you can do to protect your interests and build your personal injury claim.
What can you do now to start crafting your legal claim?
There are a lot of things that you should and shouldn’t do if you’re thinking about taking legal action. Let’s look at some of them here:
- Talk to witnesses: You’re going to need evidence to support your case, and a lot of that evidence is probably going to come from witnesses. So, make sure that you talk to these individuals to get a clear sense of what they saw and how that will factor into your case. Also, be sure to take down their contact information so that you can contact them later if you need them to be a part of your case.
- Obtain your police report: The police report that was generated after your accident will have a lot of helpful information. It may contain contact information for witnesses, but it’ll also have the officer’s opinion as to the cause of the wreck. This can help you establish fault and liability.
- Retain your medical records and bills: Even though you’ll have to spend a significant amount of time presenting evidence to show liability, you’re still going to have to prove the extent of your damages. When it comes to your medical expenses and need for future care, the best way to do that is to follow your doctor’s recommendations, retain your medical records, and keep track of all medical-related payments that you make.
- Talk to experts: Depending on the complexities of your case, you may need one or more expert witnesses to help you present your case. This may be a medical professional, an employment expert, or an expert in accident reconstruction. These individuals may make all the difference in your case since their testimony is often given a significant amount of weight.
- Be careful of what you say and how you act: Remember that the defense is going to be looking for ways to reduce its risk and avoid liability. One way that they’ll try to do this is to shift the blame back onto you. Your words may be taken out of context and your driving actions may be portrayed in such a way as to make it look like you’re to blame for the wreck. If the defense is successful in doing this, then your claim could be significantly reduced or eliminated.
Zealously advocate for the outcome that you deserve
There are a lot of moving parts to your car accident case. And you have to properly address each of them if you hope to maximize your chances of recovering the compensation that you deserve. That’s why you may find it beneficial to have an aggressive advocate on your side. If you think that you could benefit from that kind of advocacy, then please consider fully researching your representation options and reach out to those that interest you most.
