What To Do After a Personal Injury Accident

Personal injury accidents can be devastating to the person affected as well as their families. 

Depending on the injury and its severity, the person may need consistent medical attention and may be unable to work. As a result of this, bills can pile up and cause this person and their family financial stress. 

While this can be a trying time, there are ways to receive compensation for your injuries and assure you that you and your family can maintain financial stability while your injuries heal. 

What Is A Personal Injury Accident?

A personal injury accident is any harm, physical, mental, or emotional, that occurs because of the negligence of another person. There are many different accidents that qualify as personal injury accidents, some of the most common include:

  • Workplace accidents- Injuries that happen to employees on the job can be serious. They can be the result of poor working conditions, faulty equipment, or improper employee training. 
  • Motor vehicle accidents- This is an incredibly common personal injury accident that affects millions of people across the country every year. Drivers could be under the influence, distracted, or simply careless. It can be tricky to determine fault in motor vehicle accidents. 
  • Product liability- Defective products can cause long-lasting injuries for the people who unfortunately purchase them. Every once in a while defective products will be available for purchase, but the company that manufactures it could be liable for not properly testing the product. 
  • Premises liability- If a person’s property is damaged or dangerous, they can be found liable if anyone is injured because of the property’s condition. This can happen anywhere from large properties like a mall or smaller properties like a neighbor’s house. 
  • Slip and fall accidents- These injuries can happen anywhere and can be caused by various forms of negligence. Slips and falls can cause broken bones and are common causes for brain injuries and hip fractures. 
  • Dog bites- Thousands of dog bite injuries happen per year. If you have suffered from a dog bite accident, the dog’s owner could be found liable. 
  • Medical malpractice- These injuries occur when a doctor acts negligently and causes unnecessary harm to their patient. Medical malpractice claims can be difficult to prove as there needs to be adequate proof that the medical professional in question acted negligently on purpose. 
  • Wrongful death- This occurs if a personal injury accident leads to the injured party dying.

Any of these injuries could change a person’s quality of life and cause them to require assistance moving forward.

Steps You Should Take After A Personal Injury Accident

If you have experienced a personal injury accident, 

  • Seek medical attention- If you have been injured, it is imperative that you seek medical attention. Even if you believe the injuries are minor, you never know what else could have been damaged. Additionally, having documentation that a doctor assessed your injuries will be important if you plan to file a claim in the future.
  • Gather evidence- If possible, take photos of the scene of the accident and any injuries you have sustained. Additionally, collect any related documents such as medical paperwork, proof of lost wages, and any other pertinent documents.
  • Understand the statute of limitations- Depending on the state that you live in, you will have a different statute of limitations for your case. The statute of limitations states how long you have after an incident to begin legal proceedings. In some states, the statute of limitations begins once the injury happens, and in others, it can begin once the injury is noticed.
  • Contact an attorney- If you are interested in pursuing legal action after your accident, contacting a personal injury attorney can help you turn your claim into a case.

Contacting An Attorney

Hiring a personal injury attorney can lessen the stress surrounding your case. Attorneys can also provide you with services that can strengthen your case such as:

  • Performing an investigation- After your accident, you or other first response personnel may have performed an investigation to figure out what happened. However, an experienced personal injury attorney will know what to look for in the investigation to strengthen your case. They may even bring in professionals to go over any evidence from the accident. 
  • Contacting medical professionals- Attorneys will want any medical records pertaining to your injury but they also may want to consult professionals about the severity and types of issues that your injury could potentially cause down the line. 
  • Assessing additional damages- After you’ve been in an accident you may only think about what directly affects you in the present and now what damages may persist in your life. An attorney can pick out damages that may go unnoticed or unknown to many plaintiffs and can make sure that they are compensated for. 

Your attorney will use those tactics along with master negotiation in order to give you the best result possible for your case. Their goal is to gain substantial compensation for you so that all outstanding debts that may have resulted from your injury can be paid off. 

Personal Injury Lawsuit 

Although the settlement of a personal injury case depends on the injuries and circumstances around the accident, most personal injury case settlements range from $3,000-$75,000. However, if the injury is substantial or will drastically alter the person’s quality of life, larger sums may be won. 

In 2019, a woman was prescribed Benicar, a blood pressure medication, while she was pregnant. She claimed that she had no idea that the medication could affect her child and blamed the doctor for the birth injuries that her daughter sustained when she was born. Her daughter suffered from a stroke while she was in utero and has issues with her kidneys that will involve a replacement at some point in her life.

The jury awarded this mother $12,000,000 for the medical attention that her daughter requires and will continue to require throughout her life. 

Contacting a personal injury attorney after your accident can provide you and your family with the funds that you need in order to stay afloat.