What to Do After an Incident Resulting in Injury
If you’ve been injured in an accident, this can be a stressful experience, both in the immediate sense as well as in the long run. Once you’ve dealt with the immediate fallout, you’ll still have to go to court if you want to get compensated for your injuries. And this is where the real trouble often starts for… Read More »
If you’ve been injured in an accident, this can be a stressful experience, both in the immediate sense as well as in the long run. Once you’ve dealt with the immediate fallout, you’ll still have to go to court if you want to get compensated for your injuries. And this is where the real trouble often starts for many people. It’s a bad idea to assume that the average person is compassionate and responsible enough to do the right thing and admit fault. In reality, most people will...
If you’ve been injured in an accident, this can be a stressful experience, both in the immediate sense as well as in the long run. Once you’ve dealt with the immediate fallout, you’ll still have to go to court if you want to get compensated for your injuries. And this is where the real trouble often starts for many people. It’s a bad idea to assume that the average person is compassionate and responsible enough to do the right thing and admit fault. In reality, most people will do everything in their power to evade that responsibility, especially if it comes at a hefty price in terms of money or time spent in prison.
You won’t have much time to work with. So, it’s a good idea to know how to approach this situation before you actually have to deal with it.
Gather Facts and Names Right Away
If you’re not injured too badly and your condition allows for it, you should start gathering facts about the incident immediately. Talk to any people who might have witnessed what happened, and ask them if they would be willing to testify in court. Look around for businesses that might have security cameras, and try to get in touch with their owners. Time is of the essence here, because most businesses don’t store those recordings for more than a few days. Also, don’t be pushy. While some will be sympathetic to your case, not everyone will be willing to get involved, and you should respect that.
Contact an Experienced Attorney
Your next step should be to get in touch with an attorney with specific experience in personal injury cases. Look for someone who has specifically dealt with cases similar to yours – for example, some attorneys specialize in car accidents. Make sure you do this as soon as possible. Your lawyer will need some time to get things going on their end, and as we mentioned above, a lawsuit like this usually involves lots of specific constraints that you have to observe.
Avoid All Communication with the Other Parties
You may be approached by the other party at some point. If legal proceedings are already underway, you must ignore any communication attempts. If they are offering to settle out of court, refer them to your lawyer. Only they can tell you for sure if the deal is acceptable or not. But in any case, don’t exchange any words with the person you’re suing. You never know if they might be recording the call and trying to get you to say some specific phrases so they can then take them out of context in court, for example.
This will be a stressful ordeal for you, all things considered. It will also take some time to resolve. But you must keep your spirits up and remember to stand strong. Once this is done, if you did everything right, you will receive the compensation you truly deserve, and you will be able to put this behind you for good.