If another person’s negligence or wrongful action caused you to be injured, you have the right to pursue legal action. You could be entitled to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and more. Working closely with an experienced New Jersey personal injury attorney can help protect your legal rights and maximize your compensation.
Although you might not realize it, your actions can also help—or harm—the potential outcome of your case. These are some of the ways you can help ensure you get the justice and financial compensation you deserve.
No. 1: Get Medical Treatment Immediately
After any type of accident, if you feel you may be injured or even just “shook up,” seek medical treatment as quickly as possible. If you can, get checked out by emergency medical technicians at the scene. You could be in shock and, as a result, not feel pain or discomfort to the degree you normally would. If the EMTs recommend transporting you to the hospital, then go.
If no EMTs are at the scene, go immediately afterward to the emergency room, an urgent care center, or a qualified medical treatment provider. This ensures that you get a full evaluation of your injuries and the appropriate treatment for each one. Be sure to get copies of all the medical records that result from your visit, as these will form the basis for documenting your claim.
If you are injured and do not seek medical treatment immediately, it could pose a significant hurdle to successfully pursuing your lawsuit. The insurance company will argue that if your injuries weren’t serious enough to even seek treatment, you obviously weren’t hurt that badly.
Be diligent about following your doctor’s orders. Keep follow up appointments, take medications, and use medical devices (crutches, neck braces, etc.) as advised. Do not engage in any type of activity you aren’t supposed to. Rest assured, the insurance company could realistically have investigators watching you for any signs that you aren’t seriously injured.
No. 2: Keep Highly Detailed Records
After an injury accident—whether a car accident, motorcycle accident, bus accident, slip and fall, etc.—make sure to keep anything and everything having to do with your case. A well-documented claim gives you the best chance of recovering the compensation you need.
At the scene of the accident, take photos and gather information from any witnesses (if you can do so safely, of course). Note the make and model of the vehicles involved and obtain relevant information from other drivers. Record the names and badge numbers of any officers who respond to the scene. Keep receipts and medical records from any doctor visits, testing, treatment, etc.
You can also improve your chances of success if you keep a journal or diary that documents your experience. Focus your entries on your injuries, your pain, and everything you have to go through in the aftermath of a personal injury.
No. 3: Do Not Discuss Your Case with Others
From the moment of an injury accident, you will give yourself the best chance of winning if you don’t discuss anything with anyone except your attorney. You have no way of knowing what really happened, and any discussion along these lines could derail your claim.
Do not provide any statement to the insurance company. The insurance company can use any statement you provide as a reason to deny your claim or reduce the amount of your settlement. Likewise, don’t accept any settlement offer until you have spoken with a lawyer. Any early settlement offers are made in the hope that you don’t yet know the true value of your claim and might be willing to accept a lowball offer.
The best way to protect your legal right to recover compensation is to talk to a lawyer.
No. 4: Talk to a Personal Injury Attorney
The best advice about how to win a personal injury lawsuit will come from talking to an experienced injury lawyer.
A lawyer can listen to the details of your injury accident and determine the best approach for pursuing a claim. Your lawyer can explain your options and answer your questions, so you can make the right decision for yourself and your future.
When choosing a lawyer, look for someone who has experience in your specific type of case. Look for a law firm that has a strong track record of helping wrongfully injured clients and getting them the results they deserved. This reflects the firm’s passion for winning and the knowledge and skills of its lawyers.
Getting a settlement or winning a personal injury lawsuit can provide the financial resources you need to get through this challenging time. Most personal injury law firms accept cases on a contingency basis, which means you pay no legal fees unless they recover compensation for you. Trusting your case to the right attorney can help ensure you get justice and fair compensation for your injuries and other damages.
Trust the Personal Injury Attorneys at Petro Cohen, P.C.
At Petro Cohen, P.C., we take your personal injury case personally. Our team of knowledgeable and experienced attorneys will work with you to ensure that you get the medical treatment you need and the compensation you deserve.
Susan Petro, who heads the Personal Injury Department and is also the Managing Attorney of Petro Cohen, along with Rich Gaeckle and Mike Veneziani, will handle your personal injury case with care, fighting for full and fair compensation in every case they handle. They have successfully handled thousands of personal injury cases for clients throughout Southern New Jersey.
Additionally, Petro Cohen law firm was named to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firms in America® list in New Jersey for Personal Injury in 2017. Both Susan Petro and Rich Gaeckle have been recognized by Martindale-Hubbell – the world’s foremost authority on law firm credentials – for their outstanding legal work in this dynamic field.
Our lawyers have dealt with a wide variety of serious personal injury claims. Whether your injury resulted from an automobile, truck, motorcycle, or bicycle accident, a slip and fall accident, or a construction site accident, we can assist. We have also successfully handled many claims against public entities, dog bite injuries, maritime personal injury and boating accident cases, pedestrian injuries, premises liability claims, and traumatic brain injuries.
Regardless of the type of serious injury you face, our team of qualified attorneys is there for you.
Call Petro Cohen today at 888-675-7607 or visit us online at PetroCohen.com
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