The law allows you to recoup lost earnings if you had to take time off work to recover from your injuries.
When someone’s negligence causes you injury, the last thing on your mind may be that you’ll have to take legal action. Perhaps you have been hospitalized or are still recovering from your injuries. You absolutely must take appropriate measures to protect your health.
The time shortly after the accident is also essential to gather the evidence you will need for a trial. However, you may not know what documents or evidence you will need, so you would probably benefit from having a comprehensive personal injury checklist to guide you.
The Law Firms of Theodore A. Naima has created this Personal Injury Checklist to specify the documents and evidence you need to collect to help you prove your claim. Although the documents may vary depending on the type of accident and the extent of your injuries, the following documents are useful in the majority of injury cases.
Medical records
Medical records are first on the personal injury claims checklist, and for good reason: one of the legal requirements to prove a personal injury claim is to show an injury. Medical records will indicate the extent of your injuries and how much recovery time you will need. In addition, the doctors who treat you will be important witnesses in your case.
Official reports
The police or a medical team can intervene depending on your accident. New York The law requires people to report a car accident with an injury to the police.
Police and other emergency personnel keep accident records. If you or a witness made a 911 call, you can also request a recording of the call as this can help prove details of your accident.
If you were involved in a car accidentyou will need to collect the other party’s auto insurance information. Car insurance is compulsory for all cars registered in New York. In a car accident, the auto insurance company often represents the negligent party in negotiations and even in a lawsuit. If the negligent driver is uninsured, you must also collect information or a statement to that effect.
Photos, video or audio evidence
Photographic, video, or audio evidence is on this personal injury case checklist because it is valuable to your case. You need to gather this type of evidence to:
- injuries—Images showing your injuries at or near the time of the accident;
- Property damage—Images showing damage to your personal property, such as your car, and any other property damage;
- scene of the accident— Photographic or video evidence of where the accident occurred; and
- Witnesses—Audio testimony from witnesses recorded at or near the time of the crash.
These elements can help to prove the cause of the accident. Plus, juries and judges in a personal injury case find this evidence compelling if you have to go to trial.
Witness Information and Statements
Then on the bodily injury checklist are witness statements. Witnesses are people who saw or heard the accident. They may also include people who have information about the incident. For example, if several people have recently slipped and fallen in the same store where you slipped, these people could be useful witnesses in your case. The police also take witness statements.
victim impact statement
Although it can be difficult, writing or recording your statement as soon as possible helps your case. You should ask a trusted friend or lawyer to write down what happened as soon as your mind is clear. It’s also important to let your lawyer know if you’ve made any other statement to the police or another party, especially if you’re partially responsible for the accident.
Medical bills
If someone else is responsible for the accident that caused your injuries, they will have to pay compensatory damages. These damages include the cost of treatment and medical care. This is any treatment for your physical injuries, but it also includes the cost of treating emotional distress from the accident or other psychological effects. Medical bills and treatment costs will help your attorney create a comprehensive assessment of damages in your case.
Payslips or W2 forms
The law allows you to recoup lost earnings if you had to take time off work to recover from your injuries. Previous payslips and W2 the forms show the income you previously earned, which establishes the income you lost when you were unable to work.
Get organized
Gather all the evidence listed above in a box. You may be able to create an Excel document or spreadsheet to track what you request and receive. Use this personal injury checklist as a guide to help you stay organized. Tracking, requesting and collecting this evidence can seem overwhelming when recovering from an injury. You should consider hiring An experienced personal injury lawyer from Law Firms of Theodore A. Naima to help you gather the evidence you will need for your case as soon as possible.
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