Documenting Your Personal Injury
When filing a personal injury lawsuit, documentation is very important. A serious injury can be life-changing. It can leave you with a disability, and unable to work for months or even years. The medical expenses from a serious injury, coupled with an inability to work or generate income for an extended period of time, can also cripple you financially. It is imperative that you keep a complete record of all matters that pertain to your injury, to facilitate your filing of a personal injury claim. A personal injury lawyer can help you figure out what documentation or evidence you need to support your claim.
When documenting your personal injury case, don't forget important things like:
Your first-hand account of the timeline of events that led to your injury. It is important to do this as soon as possible, while the memory is still fresh. Do not neglect more immediate needs, however, such as medical treatment. It is also a good idea to write down as much as you can as right after the accident, and then review it later on, when you are no longer in a state of shock or confusion. It may also help to talk to others you have told about the incident, if you are trying to make sense of something you have written earlier.
A list of all your medical appointments. Be sure to include the time and date of each and every appointment. For each item, also write down the location of your appointment, and a brief description describing the reason for your visit. Take note of the name of all the physicians and health care professionals you have seen since your injury.
Keep a record of all surgeries performed on you. In your record, include the reason for the surgery, the hospital or clinic where the surgery was performed, and who the doctors or surgeons who operated on you were.
Properly document all medical expenses. Keep the original copies of all receipts. Document how much you've spent for medication, co-pays, surgical procedures, medical tests, transportation costs to and from the hospital, etc.
Keep a journal on your condition. In your journal entries, state how you feel, and how your condition is improving or deteriorating. Document everything. If you feel an ache or a pain, document it. This record may prove useful when proving that an injury that surfaces later on was directly caused by the accident.
When documenting your personal injury case, don't forget important things like:
Your first-hand account of the timeline of events that led to your injury. It is important to do this as soon as possible, while the memory is still fresh. Do not neglect more immediate needs, however, such as medical treatment. It is also a good idea to write down as much as you can as right after the accident, and then review it later on, when you are no longer in a state of shock or confusion. It may also help to talk to others you have told about the incident, if you are trying to make sense of something you have written earlier.
A list of all your medical appointments. Be sure to include the time and date of each and every appointment. For each item, also write down the location of your appointment, and a brief description describing the reason for your visit. Take note of the name of all the physicians and health care professionals you have seen since your injury.
Keep a record of all surgeries performed on you. In your record, include the reason for the surgery, the hospital or clinic where the surgery was performed, and who the doctors or surgeons who operated on you were.
Properly document all medical expenses. Keep the original copies of all receipts. Document how much you've spent for medication, co-pays, surgical procedures, medical tests, transportation costs to and from the hospital, etc.
Keep a journal on your condition. In your journal entries, state how you feel, and how your condition is improving or deteriorating. Document everything. If you feel an ache or a pain, document it. This record may prove useful when proving that an injury that surfaces later on was directly caused by the accident.
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