Talking About Personal Injury Cases

Posted on: 26 September 2016

If you have been injured in an accident due to the negligence of others, you may be entitled to compensation. This compensation should include reimbursement for any medical bills that you have had to pay as a result of the accident, but many times when it comes time to settle such a claim, people have difficulty remembering all of the expenses they have incurred. This could easily result in you not receiving reimbursement or you payment for these expenses out of your own pocket, but it could also cause the insurance company, or person who is having to pay the bills, to question the extent of your injuries. Fortunately, there are some relatively easy ways to document your expenses.

Take Photographs/Shoot Video

There is an old saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Studies have shown that 65% of the population are visual learners. This means that they take in more information when they are able to see the images that are being described than if they are only able to hear the information. In addition to being able to better process the information, visuals also allow the receivers to do the following:

• Retain the information longer
• Process information faster
• Concentrate on the information
• Evoke emotions

Studies have shown that 90% of all information that is transmitted to the brain is done so through visual means.

Thankfully, most people have the ability to shoot clear pictures and videos through your personal mobile phone. Although, as the injured party, you may not be in a position to immediately record the scene of the accident, you can ask someone who is with you to do so. This will help to show the following:

• The circumstances that caused the accident
• The weather conditions during the accident
• Injuries incurred as a result of the accident
• Other mitigating circumstances surrounding the accident and more

You may even find that, in reviewing pictures or video that was shot during or after your accident, you are even able to recall more pertaining to what happened and how it happened.

If there seems to be no video or pictures taken at the scene of your accident, there may be other avenues to collect such information. Others may have video that you don't know exist. Request this information through social media or by posting flyers around the scene of the accident. If it was a traffic accident, look around to see if there are any traffic cameras that may have recorded the event.

Save Your Evidence

Save anything and everything that pertains to your accident. This should include torn clothing, damaged property, and more. Make sure that you request that the hospital does not dispose of these items, especially if they have to be cut off of you in the emergency room or during your treatment.

Request Your Medical Records

Although your personal injury attorney will likely request a copy of your records directly from the hospital, you need to request a copy of your records as soon as your treatment is complete. Review your records for accuracy once you receive them. A simple error contained within your record omitting an injury, a required treatment, or referrals could cost you when it comes time to settle. Even something as simple as your medical record indicating that you were not wearing a seatbelt in the event of an automotive accident, when you actually were, could be costly.

Save Copies of Every Bill And Receipt

Many times medical bills that will arrive following a personal injury will arrive from multiple providers and agencies. If you have to have surgery, you may receive a bill from the hospital, the surgeon, the anesthesiologist, and others.

Even if you have medical insurance that have covered these expenses, you need to not only save the original bill, but you also need to save any documentation from your insurance company showing what they have paid as well. This is because if your insurance company has paid out expenses that should be covered by someone else as a result of your accident, they may attempt to recover their money through subrogation, which means that you may not be entitled to be reimbursed for these expenses but the insurance company would.

No one but the person who has to pay wants to leave money on the table that should be paid out in a personal injury case. Your personal injury attorney will be able to review your bills and help you figure out what you are and are not entitled to as a result of your accident and injuries.