Can You Get Compensation If You’ve Been Injured In An Accident?

Everybody wakes up hoping to have a day like any other. But it doesn’t turn out so for thousands every day. According to data from the CDC, 97.9 million Americans visited a physician’s office for unintentional injuries in 2018. Injured In An Accident- 

If your injuries result from an accident, you may be eligible for compensation. However, your eligibility for compensation will depend on whether your accident resulted from another person’s negligence.

If you are not sure about the validity of your case, talking to a lawyer can help you understand whether or not you qualify to pursue compensation when you are Injured In An Accident. 

Having A Lawyer Is Important- Injured In An Accident

After establishing your eligibility for compensation, the next step is pursuing what you rightfully deserve.

Unfortunately, the at-fault party or their insurer may use every means possible to deny your claim or lower its value, meaning you will need a lawyer to increase your chances of getting fair compensation. 

Getting the right lawyer for your injury claim can be a challenge because you do not want to get a lawyer that doesn’t add value to your case. Therefore, before engaging a personal injury lawyer in your case, be sure to understand their: 

• Record of success in similar cases
• Reputation or that of the law firm they are affiliated to
• Payment options
• Contingency fee percentage
• Trial experience

If you live in Chicago and can’t seem to decide on the right lawyer even after considering the above qualities, Zayed Law Offices is an excellent place to start for all your injury claims. 

How to Improve Your Chances of Getting Fair Compensation

The value of a claim depends on how strong a case is. What you do after an accident can make a big difference in the quality of evidence and, consequently, the outcome of your claim. 

Below are some of the things to do after an accident to ensure you get better results:

Seek Immediate Medical Attention

After a major accident like a car accident, a fall from height, or exposure to toxic chemicals, your first cause of action should be seeking medical attention. Even when you may not feel like your injuries are severe, it would be best to see a doctor. 

Seeking medical attention helps in several ways; it helps rule out the possibility of unseen injuries, links your injuries to the accident, and provides treatment documentation. Documentation includes medical bills, prescriptions, and procedures, all of which are critical pieces of evidence when determining the value of your compensation. 

Seeking medical attention long after an accident can complicate your claim because the defendant or their insurer can claim that your injuries are unrelated to the accident. So whenever possible, see a doctor on the same day or at least one day following an accident.

Gather Evidence

The best time to collect evidence after an accident is when you are still at the scene of an accident. Understandably, you may be confused and overwhelmed by the impact of the accidents, and documenting the scene may be last on your mind. But it is always best to do so whenever possible. 

The best way to document an accident would be to take pictures or record a video of the scene and anything material to the accident. You may also want to collect witness testimonies if there was anyone around at the time of the accident. 

If your injuries are severe, you may ask someone to help you document the scene as you await help. Witness statements, video, and photo evidence can come in handy when your lawyer may need to reconstruct the accident.

Report Your Accident

It is possible to get into a seemingly bad accident but still feel okay or talk it out with the at-fault party and leave without reporting the accident. If your injuries worsen after some time, it may be pretty challenging to substantiate your case if you never reported it. The best place to start when reporting an accident is by calling the police. 

When the police get to the accident scene, they usually document everything and write a report. That report is a public record, so you can access it and use it as proof of you being in an accident.

Even when the police don’t show up for whatever reason, there will be evidence to show that you reported the accident. If you are injured in the course of work, you will be required to report the accident at your place of work within a specified period.

File Your Claim

Once you have everything you need to build your case, you will need to file a claim. The process of filing a claim may be challenging for the layman, so it would be best if you let your lawyer take care of it on your behalf. 

It is essential to be aware of your state’s statute of limitations to ensure that you do not file your claim outside the time limit. If you have a lawyer, it is improbable that they are not aware of the statute of limitation, so you should be safe.

Things That Can Harm Your Chances of a Fair Compensation

Several things can hurt your chances of fair compensation for injuries sustained in an accident, including:

• Accidents that happen while you are intoxicated
• You are partially responsible for the accident
• Sharing the details of your accidents with other people, especially on social media
• Not following your injury lawyers lead
• Not being forthcoming with pre-existing injuries

When navigating an injury claim, it is best to let your lawyer guide you through it, even when you may feel they are letting go of a good deal. A lawyer will not take a stand unless they are sure it is the right thing to do, depending on the circumstances. Remember, they have been at it for years to know what a good deal is. If you trusted them enough to hire them, trust them to do the work for you.