What to Do In the Months Following a Serious Accident

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Nigel Hardy
5 years ago
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1 What to Do In the Months Following a Serious Accident Print this off and stick it in your glove compartment! When injured in an accident, you have burden of proving the losses you ve experienced. How badly are you really hurt? How much did you lose as a result of the accident? Are the problems actually persisting for as long as you say? For those who have had to deal with stingy insurance companies following an accident, they know how frustrating it is to be offered pennies on the dollar. The anger and hopelessness that builds up when your integrity is questioned might make you want to throw your arms up and walk away, leaving your life devastated permanently by the insurance company s unwillingness to cover the costs incurred following the accident. What do you have to do to prove the problems resulted from your accident? You must accurately portray the problems you are experiencing. If you do choose to file a lawsuit rather than go it alone (and believe me, insurance companies know the little guy can be brushed off), you re going to have to show that you have had severe problems impacting your life through and through. Here are the eight steps you need to take following an accident. By putting this in your glove compartment, it ll be in a very accessible place in the event of an accident. You really don t want to have to try to figure out where you put it if tragedy comes knocking. #1 Keep a Journal Stop by a store and buy a cheap notebook. This is going to be one of your most valuable tools for showing how dramatically your life has been changed. IMPORTANT: Do NOT exaggerate ANYTHING. If you are ever found to be exaggerating, your chances of getting compensated will be hacked off at the knees. The goal isn t to write a novel, the goal is to accurately show what problems you re experiencing. Write as much as you can, but never, ever exaggerate. This will help you accurately reference your problems. Rather than relying on our memory to tell the story of what happened, you can rely on records taken each step along the way. You re going to want to record the following items in this list in your journal. FREE CASE EVALUATION

2 #2 See Your Doctor Injuries are proven not simply by your testimony, but also with the aid of medical professionals. Every doctor you spend any amount of time with regarding your injury can testify to the extent of your physical condition. Each time you visit a doctor, write down in your journal the date, the time, the name(s) of the doctor(s), what they said, what the recommendations are for treatment, and anything else related to your visit. If you wait until after the accident, it takes a lot more work to go back and track this all down. You can do that, and we have to do that frequently with clients, but starting at the beginning will allow you to take more detailed notes on the exact nature of the visit relying less on memory. #3 Follow Your Doctor s Advice You must follow your doctor s advice. If you see a doctor and do not follow their direction, the insurance company has little reason to pay you for your continued problems you re experiencing. This means that if you have months or years of pain ahead of you, you re on your own. When you do follow the advice, continued problems are now documented and recognized by the medical professionals as something for them to help you solve, not a problem you created by yourself. This means the insurance company is more likely to be held accountable for those expenses and losses incurred as a result. Whatever your doctor s directions are, make notes in your journal when you carried them out. Whether that s seeing another medical professional, taking medications, dietary, or exercises recommended, note when and where you did so. #4 Take Prescriptions as Directed Just like your doctor s advice, take your prescriptions precisely as directed. If you skip dosages or double up, you are not following your doctor s advice and your credibility may deteriorate in the eyes of the insurance company and courts. If you believe you need something different with your prescription, you need to take that up with medical professionals. When your prescription is out and you are to do refills, go to the pharmacy and get it refilled swiftly. Do not delay and skip dosages without your doctor s direction. Make notes in your journal about taking your prescription (if you can) and when and where you get your prescription refilled. FREE CASE EVALUATION

3 #5 Record ALL Costs Related to Your Health Any additional costs related to your health should be documented. If you re taking supplements, seeking alternative medical solutions, spending additionally on healthy foods all of these may be a result of your accident. To be clear, you may not get reimbursed for each item. But if you do not record these additional expenses, you will have little to no chance of getting them reimbursed. #6 Note What Activities You Can t Do the Same This is extremely important. This is where you must accurately note how your life has been changed as a result of the accident. You should record everything from the little to the big things. Examples include: if you re unable to pick up your children or grandchildren, difficulty climbing up and down stairs or getting in and out of your car, physical activities you used to engage in, your ability to focus on a conversation or a book. As often as you can, make notes about what, when, and where your activities are impaired. The more details the better. Again, do not exaggerate as that can cost you your credibility and ultimately your claim. #7 Write Down How You re Feeling Emotional health is a lot harder to discuss when there are no records. Were there days on end you couldn t get out of bed and that had a toll on your emotional state? Are you dealing with PTSD following the accident? Are you experiencing depression? Here is where you can write exactly what you re feeling. How this will impact a claim is difficult to say, but the records will provide the insurance company and the courts an eye into how your life has been impacted beyond the physical aspects. Make notes about when you have good days or bad days. You do not want to exaggerate and say you had emotional problems that didn t exist. #8 Record Any Problems Experienced at Work Wages are a big part of the losses that follow accidents. The first part being days you are unable to work. You ll want to record each day you do not work and make notes about why you are unable to work that day. You also need to make notes about any activities you are unable to do at work. If your ability to carry out your job is impacted, whether because you are completely incapable of work or if you must move to a lower-paying position, these are all economic losses that the insurance company is likely to owe you for. If your life will be impacted for decades to come, then you should fight for what is rightfully owed you.

4 Print Off the Next Page And Seek Additional Counsel Seriously, print this off and stick it in the glove compartment of each vehicle in your household (print a few for your friends, too). This list can make a dramatic difference in your ability to be compensated if tragedy strikes. I ve seen far too many lives ripped apart by accidents and it s compounded when insurance companies do everything they can to not pay. As an attorney, you re aware that I m going to recommend that you spend time seeking legal counsel. Let me be clear: insurance companies will do everything they can to not pay or pay as little as possible. My team and I have worked with thousands of locals here in South Florida. Whether or not you talk to us, I can tell you that when you bring on an attorney (who, mind you, doesn t get paid unless you do), your chances of winning dramatically increase. And not just your chances of winning, you tell the insurance company loud and clear: I won t let you take advantage of me. If you ve been injured, call us, we re here to help you every step of the way We are people first lawyers, dedicated to helping people get the legal representation they deserve. The Brooks Law Group is a law firm devoted to excellence. We take your case personally. Our philosophy is simple. Today s legal network is so complex and people are afraid to seek help they honestly need. Everyone that walks through our door gets the very best we have to offer, whatever it takes.

5 What to Do in the Months Following a Serious Accident #1 Keep a Journal Stop by a store and buy a cheap notebook. This is going to be one of your most valuable tools for showing how dramatically your life has been changed. IMPORTANT: Do NOT exaggerate ANYTHING. #2 See Your Doctor Each time you visit a doctor, write down in your journal the date, the time, the name(s) of the doctor(s), what they said, what the recommendations are for treatment, and anything else related to your visit. #3 Follow Your Doctor s Advice Whatever your doctor s directions are, make notes in your journal when you carried them out. Whether that s seeing another medical professional, taking medications, dietary, or exercises recommended, note when and where you did so. #4 Take Prescriptions as Directed Make notes in your journal about taking your prescription (if you can) and when and where you get your prescription refilled. #5 Record ALL Costs Related to Your Health You may not get reimbursed for each item. But if you do not record these additional expenses, you will have little to no chance of getting them reimbursed. #6 Note What Activities You Can t Do the Same As often as you can, make notes about what, when, and where your activities are impaired. The more details the better. Again, do not exaggerate as that can cost you your credibility and ultimately your claim. #7 Write Down How You re Feeling Emotional health is a lot harder to discuss when there are no records. Were there days on end you couldn t get out of bed and that had a toll on your emotional state? Are you dealing with PTSD following the accident? Are you experiencing depression? #8 Record Any Problems Experienced at Work You ll want to record each day you do not work and make notes about why you are unable to work that day. You also need to make notes about any activities you are unable to do at work.

Claiming compensation after an accident at work. A guide to help you and your family get the most from your claim

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