Personal Injury Attorney
The first meeting with a personal injury attorney is the initial step in the process toward collecting compensation. The attorney will do everything possible to evaluate your case accurately and advise you of your legal options. However, you have a role to play in the process too. You can help your attorney assist you by gathering as much documentation as you can that is relevant to your case and bringing it with you to your appointment.
Not every case will involve the same documentation, but here are some examples of information that can be helpful.
1. Wage Loss Information
If you had to miss work while receiving treatment and recovering from your injury, you can receive reimbursement from it. However, you need documentation that demonstrates that you lost wages. This can include financial documents such as tax returns and pay stubs, as well as documentation from your employer showing how many days you missed and why.
2. Medical Records
You can receive compensation for any medical expenses that you incurred from the injury. To prove this, you should provide the bills you received for medical services as well as any hospital or health care records demonstrating that your injury was the result of an accident.
3. Other Bills or Expenses
You may have other expenses resulting from your injury but not medical in nature. For example, maybe you had to hire a taxi or use a ride-hailing service to travel to your physical therapy appointments. The fares that you paid for transportation to and from physical therapy may be compensable.
4. Photographs
If you had the opportunity, you may have taken photographs of your injuries or of the accident scene. These can be very helpful in objectively verifying your side of the story. Therefore, you should bring any photographs that you do have. If you do not have photographs, don’t worry about it. There may not have been time at the accident scene, or you may have been too hurt.
5. Witness Contact Information
Again, there isn’t always time after an accident to collect the names and contact information of witnesses. However, if you have this information, you should provide it to your attorney as witness statements can be very helpful in preparing your case.
6. Police Report
Depending on the nature and severity of your accident, you may have involved the police. This is common, and sometimes required, after a car accident. If the police were called, the responding officer will write up an objective account of what happened. You can contact the police station and ask for a copy.
If you have any questions about what to bring to your first meeting, ask an attorney, like a personal injury attorney from Rispoli & Borneo, P.C., when you call a law office.