If you were injured because of the recklessness of another person or party, which could occur in a car accident caused by a distracted driver, a slip and fall accident due to poor lighting, or because of a defective product, you may have grounds for a lawsuit or personal injury insurance claim. Below, find out what documents and evidence you will need to build a strong case for why you deserve compensation.
When you meet with an experienced personal injury attorney from Roden Law, he or she will explain how he or she can help collect documentation of your injury and other damages to help in pursuing fair compensation.
Police or Accident Report
If you were injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact the police to file a police report. Even if you think the accident was minor, you may have sustained more damages than you initially thought and having a police report can help establish that the accident occurred. The report will note if traffic citations were issued, which can be a crucial factor in any car accident case. The officer might even provide his or her opinion about fault for the crash.
If you were injured in another type of accident, you may be able to request that an accident or incident report be prepared. For example, if you were injured in a slip and fall accident, the business may prepare an incident report. Ask for a copy of this report because it officially documents what occurred.
Medical Reports
After an accident, you should seek immediate medical attention if you were injured. This is critical for the potential success of your claim because it links your injuries to the accident.
Potential medical records that you should keep include:
- Emergency room records
- Doctor notes
- Rehabilitation reports
- Medical imaging results
You should save any records created during the entire period of your treatment, including all follow-up treatment.
Keep all bills and receipts from your treatment, including records of the miles traveled to and from doctor’s appointments. This is the only way to pursue compensation for all medical bills incurred.
Witness Statements
Other people may have observed the accident. Witness statements can often be a powerful source of evidence in personal injury accidents because they usually come from objective parties who have no stake in the case.
If a law enforcement officer responds to an accident, he or she may ask witnesses to give a verbal or written statement about what they observed, which may be contained in the police report.
Even if law enforcement does not respond to the accident, you can ask witnesses what they saw and write it down. It is best to talk to witnesses as close to the time of the accident as possible because they can forget details.
Photographs
Photographs can be powerful evidence and really bring the scene to life. Some things to take pictures of include:
- Your injuries as they develop
- Damage to all vehicles involved
- Any other property damage
- The accident scene from various angles
If you have any video of the accident, provide this to your lawyer as well as it may shed light on different aspects of your accident.
Employment Records
Many accidents may cause you to miss work. You may be entitled to compensation based on your lost wages or lost earning capacity. Gather the following types of documentation so you can pursue compensation for lost wages or earning capacity:
- Pay stubs
- W-2s
- Letter from your employer about days missed and rate of pay
- Records of days missed
- Records of bonuses received
Contact an Experienced Attorney to Help Gather Important Documents
There are many pieces of evidence that may be critical factors in the success of your claim. A personal injury attorney from Roden Law can identify important documents, evaluate the documents that you have and quickly begin building a detailed case.
At Roden Law, you are never charged for a consultation. We take your case on a contingency fee basis and you owe us nothing for our services unless we successfully recover compensation on your behalf.