Each year thousands of people are injured at work and on the road. However, it’s only a fraction of those individuals who make successful claims.
Making a successful claim all comes down to your preparedness. It’s essential you make the right decisions to maximise your chances of receiving compensation. After all, if somebody else was negligent, you deserve it.
Establish Blame
Before you begin the process of making a claim, it’s important to think carefully about whether it was anybody’s fault. Establishing blame is a legal requirement for making a successful claim.
Many people fall at this first hurdle by not correctly identifying who was at fault. For many personal injuries, it is eventually discovered that it is the victim’s fault they’re injured. Personal injury law attorneys are good at taking a valid claim and making it better. But what they can’t do is invent a claim when there is nobody to take the blame.
Find The Right Personal Injury Attorney
Once you suspect that somebody else was to blame, the next step is to find the right personal injury attorney. Your choice of attorney does matter. Different attorneys have varying levels of skill and experience.
It’s best to find a personal injury lawyer who is experienced in your type of case. They’ll be able to give you feedback very quickly on whether you can make a claim. And they’ll know the best way to present your case in court.
Be Prepared
If your personal injury claim doesn’t relate to a road traffic accident, be prepared. Often, if you’re making a claim, it will be another insurance company that will end up having to pay out. That means that the companies involved will want to find out as much information as possible. It might ultimately help their case.
The first thing to do is to discuss the matter with your personal injury attorney. Ask which questions you should answer and which you shouldn’t.
Make sure you are clear when it comes to your story. You should be able to recite exactly what happened consistently. Not being able to do so will benefit the case of the defense.
Find Witnesses
If somebody saw you get injured, ask for their name and address. In court, they may be able to help fight your case.
Having a witness means a lot in a court of law. Witnesses can contribute to convincing the court that your injuries were the result of negligence. Perhaps they also noticed the fact that the floor was wet and that there weren’t any warning signs.
Get Checked By A Doctor
If you are injured, the court will want to see confirming medical evidence. Before you begin making a claim, make sure that you have a doctor’s report.
The physician’s report should detail exactly how you have been injured and where. The insurance companies will want to know the severity of the injuries so that they can tailor compensation accordingly.
Often your attorney will be able to inform you of the standard level of compensation in such cases. If the injury is severe enough, this sum can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.