First Five Steps After an Injury

Getting an injury is costly, whether on the job or in an accident. Depending on the severity of your injury, you could need to take weeks off work to fully recover. In addition to the lost wages, you’ll have to pay hospital bills, physical therapy fees, and potentially prescription costs. Plus, whoever takes time off to look after you is likely to out of some money, too.

If you ever incur an injury where someone else is at fault, there are five steps you should take to legally protect yourself and help build a case on your behalf. Please note that this information is generic and helpful as a guide. It is also likely to differ, depending on where you are located worldwide. This information is most relevant in the USA.

Preserve Evidence

Personal injury can occur in many places. Whenever you incur damage at the fault of another, ensure you take measures to preserve evidence if you can.

You can do a few things to preserve evidence. First, if you’re able to protect the scene, do so. If you’ve been in a car accident, this would mean setting off flares or turning your hazard flashers on. Don’t let anything get moved or damaged.

Next, call the police even if there aren’t serious injuries. When the police arrive, give them an accurate account of what happened. Having a police report helps file with your health or car insurance provider.

You should also take pictures of the scene, including physical damage to any property and any physical injuries you incur. If you cannot take pictures immediately after the incident, take them immediately or send someone in your stead.

Exchange Information

If you’ve summoned a police officer, he should collect all the contact and insurance information from all parties involved. You can retrieve the police report with the officer’s report number.

If the police don’t respond, you need to take action to collect all the necessary information. If you’ve been in a car accident, obtain the name, address, number, and insurance policy number of everyone involved in the crash. You should also provide your information to everyone involved. If there were witnesses to the incident, collect their contact details, too.

Notify Your Insurer

As soon as possible, notify your insurance company about your personal injury. Most insurers do require immediate reporting.

When you notify your insurer, you’ll need to provide the medical bills associated with your injury and pictures of the damage in the case of a vehicular accident. You’ll also need to give the police report and the information you collected from the at-fault party or parties. It’s best to keep all these records together in a file. Having copies on your computer will also make finding and emailing information more accessible.

Get Medical Attention

If you have a severe medical emergency, it’s easy to know that you must seek emergency medical attention. However, there are some cases where injuries are internal or not immediately apparent, like a concussion. This can especially be true in car accidents where concussions and whiplash aren’t visible until later.

Even if you don’t think you have an injury, you should still seek medical attention and have a doctor write up his notes on your check-up.

Find a Lawyer

Something you should never forget to do if you’ve incurred an injury at the fault of another is to find a lawyer in your area, so if you’re in Los Angeles, you could approach ElDabe Ritter Trial Lawyers. They are experienced in similar events in your state. Your attorney can protect your rights and recover any wage or property losses due to your personal injury.

In many cases, insurance providers – yours and those covering the other individuals involved – want statements immediately after the accident. It’s essential to receive legal advice before giving these statements. Hiring an attorney can provide information on how to ensure you are adequately compensated for your injuries. A personal injury attorney in many areas will not receive a legal fee unless he can recoup compensation for your injuries.