The Personal Injury Document Checklist

Personal injury accidents are almost always extremely stressful. While a personal injury victim is working to recover, it is also important that they keep a record of their injuries, hospital visits, and statements for when it comes time for litigation.

McMinn Law Firm has compiled this checklist for personal injury documentation for anyone who needs help identifying what documentation a client should keep for their case. Some documentation, such as surveillance video, may need to be acquired by the lawyer retained in the case. Check out this list for suggestions on what to bring to a consultation with the lawyer.

1. Police Report — most personal injury cases will involve a police report. If the wreck was severe, it is likely that the party at fault was written a driving citation. When the lawyer receives the case number, they can request more information and verify that the other party received a traffic violation such as “failure to yield” “unsafe lane change” or “DWI.”
2. Medical Records and Medical Bills — most people who file personal injury claims are simply seeking compensation in order to return their life back to the way it was before the accident. The cost of medical bills has skyrocketed over recent years due to increased deductibles, and inflated cost of services (most commonly attributed to hospital management.) In short: medical care is really expensive. After just a few days in the hospital or even just a short trip to the emergency room can put an injured person in debt. Recovering the costs of medical care is important to personal injury clients. That’s why keeping track of the dollars spent at the hospital will help a personal injury client get reset as much as possible to their life before the accident.
3. Insurance claims — if you’re going to meet with a lawyer, bring any correspondence you’ve had with the insurance company to date. Keep a record of when you contacted and what happened over the phone.
4. Pictures and video — a photo is worth a thousand words right? If the case goes to trial, photos of a dog bite will help the jury understand how painful the injury was to the victim. In the famous McDonald’s v Liebeck case, the photos of Ms. Liebeck’s injuries showed just how severe the burns were. It wasn’t just hot coffee, and the photos of Ms. Liebeck’s burns helped to illustrate her pain and suffering. Be sure to take photos during the recovery process, and if possible at the scene of the accident.
5. Financial documents — while a personal injury victim is recovering, they may also be losing wages from work or time at school. A student may show the cost of their tuition for the semester that they will have to take over again, and an employee may bring a financial statement of wages to demonstrate the loss of income.
6. Personal injury journal — During recovery, there will be damages that cannot be proved through photos, financial documents, or by a police report. A personal injury journal is the chance to record the pain and suffering caused by the accident. Keep a journal to record the type of pain and suffering caused by the accident. As time goes on you will not be able to provide as good of a description of the pain.