Building a Strong Personal Injury Claim Through Evidence
In a South Carolina personal injury claim, it is essential to have support and evidence of negligence to hold another party liable for your damages. To build a strong and effective claim, our skillful attorney will collaborate with a team of experts to uncover necessary evidence including:
1. Police Report
If a police officer assists the scene of your personal injury accident, they should have filed a report. This report can provide an unbiased perspective of the situation- whether the accident was a car accident, occurred at your workplace, or another location. An accident report can provide the cause of the accident, information about the people involved, details of injuries sustained, and other relevant pieces of information.
2. Physical Evidence
Physical evidence can include anything from damaged property to tattered or bloody clothing that will serve to exhibit your injury sustained. If possible, preserve pieces of physical evidence at the scene before it gets lost. Our attorney will make sure that the defendant does not get away with getting rid of this essential evidence.
3. Visual Evidence
You have the right to take pictures and videos regarding the accident. This visual evidence will support the injuries and damages inflicted upon you. Try to document the following with visual evidence:
- The scene of the accident
- Injuries sustained
- Property damages
- Progress of your treatment
The more versatile and detailed your pictures are, the better help they will serve as evidence to build your claim.
4. Eyewitness and Personal Testimony
If there were eyewitnesses at the scene of your accident, try to gather their contact information so that our lawyer can later work on gathering their account of the situation. Furthermore, document your recollection of the accident on paper while the event is fresh in your mind. You should also keep a record of your injuries, medical statements, other fees related to the accident, and details of your treatment.
5. Medical Records
When you seek medical care to assess your health after the accident, make sure to ask for documentation of your injuries sustained to exhibit the extent to which the accident has impacted your life.
Seek records from the following health care providers you see after your accident:
- Emergency room
- Diagnostic centers
- Hospital
- Physical therapists
- Primary care providers
- Psychologists
- Specialists
- Surgical centers
Additional documents that should be preserved include medical and hospital bills, prescriptions, records of treatment, any related expenses, and even information regarding discharge.
6. Interaction With Insurance Company
If you do engage with the other party’s insurance, be sure to take notes or even record the conversation. Beware that bad faith insurance adjusters may try to diminish the value of your settlement. Our firm will not let the defendant and their insurance company undermine you.
7. Loss of Wages
When you fall victim to a personal injury accident, your injuries may cause you to miss time at work. You should collect previous and current pay stubs that reflect a disparity of income. Lost wages may be compensated if they show an effect of your ability to sustain your lifestyle as it was prior to the incident. The liable party should pay for your losses at work. Additionally, you must provide documentation of the injuries or circumstances preventing you from returning to work or working at the same capacity before the injuries.
Damages That May Add Value To Your Personal Injury Settlement
Although there is no exact estimate to the amount of compensation you can recover in a personal injury accident, your lawyer can help you assess the extent of your losses that can count as recovered damages.
The personal injury attorney of Hammack Law Firm will work hard to help build up a strong claim that can secure the most amount of recover damages from your sustained pain and suffering, in consideration to your:
- Medical Costs – You have the right to compensation for medical expenses that are the result of injuries sustained in the accident.
- Property Damage – If the type of accident you were involved in was a car accident or other situation where property damages resulted, then our firm will work to recover for the repair or replacement of these items.
- Pain and Suffering – This encompasses all physical, emotional, and mental damages. If your life has been negatively impacted, you deserve financial reimbursement for your losses.
- Lost Wages and Future Income – You should not suffer lost income due to injuries preventing you from working at all or to full capacity. A loss in future earning can have a devastating impact on your overall quality of life.
- Long-term Injury and Disability – If the accident causes you long-term physical damage or disability, you deserve to be paid for your losses.
- Loss of Consortium –The spouse and children of the victim may qualify for this type of damage if their relationship with their loved one has been significantly impacted.
- Disfigurement – Unfortunately, the most severe personal injury accidents can result in drastic alterations to your physical look. If this impairs your capacity to fulfill a “normal life” after the accident, you should seek to recover compensation.
- Emotional Distress – Along with physical pain, accidents can bring about emotional or mental pain. Long-term effects such as post-traumatic stress disorder are not unlikely and can affect your life.
