All Bases Covered: What Your Personal Injury Attorney Needs from You

Hiring a reputable personal injury attorney for your case is undoubtedly the wisest thing to do, but this doesn’t mean you’re completely hands-off. While a good firm has the resources to investigate and discover vital details, you can help them hit the ground running with your own input.

Information

As you can imagine, “information” covers a lot of names, addresses, and dates. You might not have every single one, but you should try to come forward with as many as you can gather.

Information about an ambulance, if applicable, is first. Hospital information, including the emergency room you were taken to, is next. Provide the date that you arrived, as well as every day since you were in or at the hospital for this injury. You’ll also need the names, and if possible, the contact information for any doctor that provided treatment, consultation, or advice.

Then there’s the accident itself. Identify everyone who was involved or present at the scene. Below this, indicate people whom you have discussed the accident with. Don’t forget contact information for the insurance company.

Documents

The accident report is the very first document you need to procure, along with any photos you may have of the scene, the injury, anything. Written statements concerning the event are also valuable.

Have you missed work due to this injury? A statement from your employer will be helpful here in verifying how much work you’ve missed.

If there’s an insurance company involved, such as with a car accident, documents concerning your policy are necessary. If you’re disabled due to the accident and are receiving or in the process of receiving benefits, save any documents you may have gotten from social services.

Any letters or proof of contact you’ve gotten from anyone involved - medical, insurance, or otherwise needs to be copied and brought in.

From there, it’s a lot of bills and receipts. Save each and every statement you get from insurance or medical. If you have to buy any medical supplies or medication, save that receipt, copy it, and turn it in to your attorney.

Questions

Your attorney might have questions for you, but you should have questions for them as well. Professionals found at firms such as https://www.robinettelaw.com/west-virginia/morgantown-car-accident-injury-attorney/ will in fact expect that you have questions of your own.

After providing all that you can, your first questions involve time. How much time do you have to resolve the case before a statute of limitations goes in effect? Compare this to how long your lawyer anticipates the case taking.

Ask where the hang ups are. What aspects of your case are problematic, if any? What does your attorney think will be the most difficult part of proving your case? Now that they have all of the details, what’s their plan? What will the first step be?

If you’ve chosen correctly, you’ve got a lawyer who wants to dive right in and get you the money you’re owed. All of this begins with you. By providing well-organized and thorough information, you’re helping your attorney streamline the discovery process. Be as forthcoming and cooperative as possible right at the start, and your case will have a better shot at a favorable outcome.