Personal injuries not only cause physical pain, but often emotional and financial hardship through loss of work, medical bills and stress placed upon families and loved ones. If you have suffered physical or emotional injuries due to another's acts, you may be entitled to bring a personal injury claim to recover for your damages. Recoverable damages include past and future medical expenses, physical pain and suffering, mental anguish, physical impairment, disfigurement, lost wages, and loss of earning capacity.

Although many people usually only think of auto accidents and slip and falls when they think about a personal injury case, there are many other types.

Information Regarding Your Medical Treatment

You are entitled to the best medical care available to cure or to minimize the effects of your injury. It is essential that you assist us in obtaining copies of bills and receipts for all medical expenditures you have made. Your financial loss is sometimes less important then the effects of the injury. We need your assistance to keep us informed of the effects of the accident on your life and in furnishing information as to where we can get credible and admissible testimony to prove the effects of your injuries on your life.

You should continue to go to a doctor as long as your injuries continue to bother you. Cooperate with your doctor in every way, and relate to him or her truthfully and fully all symptoms that you have that were a result of this accident. Answer completely all questions that he asks you. As long as you still need medical attention you should continue to obtain the medical care you need. You should not talk about the legal aspects of your case when you see your doctor. Your doctor may the impression that you care more about a legal settlement than your health and getting well.

One of the most significant factors affecting the value of your lawsuit is whether or not we can establish by doctor testimony that you have suffered a permanent injury because of the accident. Doctors know from experience that the full extent of a person’s injuries is usually not known until several months after the accident.

It is important for you to update us on a regular basis of your medical progress - including when your doctor refers you for physical therapy or to another doctor. We will then be able to get complete copies of all your records and better prepare your case.

The Value of your Case

Some insurance companies in cases where the liability or fault is clear, relate the value of the case to the special damages. This is often unrealistic because other major factors including:

• physical pain and suffering;
• the inability to enjoy previous hobbies and activities; and
• the loss of your capacity to lead a normal life

may have a greater impact on the value of your case than any of the special damages.

After we have fully investigated and worked on your case, we will make the best estimate of the smallest and largest jury verdict we could likely obtain - and the probable legal outcome. This figure is based on our experience and research regarding jury verdicts for similar cases.

Filing the Lawsuit

In some jurisdictions you are only permitted to file a lawsuit within two years of the date of the accident. This time period is called the 'statute of limitations' and is provided for by law and once that time period has elapsed you are forever barred from pursuing your claim. Therefore,

It is important that you contact a lawyer as soon as possible after an injury.

We usually will not initiate a lawsuit until the permanency of your injuries becomes known or until this time period is about to elapse, whichever comes first. If we file a lawsuit, you are the plaintiff. A complaint is filed on your behalf which states the reasons why we believe you have a cause of action against the defendant, and it sets forth the claims we are making. The defendant has twenty to thirty days after he has been served with the papers of the lawsuit to respond or answer that claim. In the defendants responds, he or she will often claim that you contributed to your own injuries. This is where having our firm working on your case will be very helpful.

Many clients want to know how much we are going to sue for. In order to recover the maximum amount possible, we will wait to see the full extent and permanence of your injuries before we can decide on a specific amount.

During the course of the lawsuit we will take testimony from all witnesses and doctors who may be involved in the case. In addition, the attorney for the defendant will send written questions known as interrogatories - which must be answered under oath in writing. The attorney for the defendant will also take your deposition. A deposition is oral questions given to you under oath in an informal setting. As your attorneys, we will prepare you for your deposition and attend it with you.

This phase of the lawsuit is called discovery - and its purpose is to attempt to narrow the issues for trial. There are certain items of damages that you are entitled to recover in most lawsuits.

These include:

• Past pain and suffering
• Future pain and suffering
• Loss of income
• Future loss of income and loss of earning capacity
• Out of pocket expenses, such as doctor bills or other medical bills and property damage that has not been reimbursed to you
• Loss of consortium on behalf of the non-injured spouse. That is the loss of services of an injured spouse in all ways that the spouse renders service to his or her mate including housekeeping, lawn mowing, maintenance, cooking, companionship and sexual relations.

We will not settle your claim without your permission and we will advise you of any and all offers of settlement that are made to us on your behalf.

The following is a list of important things that you can do to help us in our representation. This list is designed to help you furnish us with information that is of great importance in preparing your case for both trial and settlement purposes. You should keep us informed of any changes that may occur. Please try to provide us with the following during the course of your case:

• A diary of your activities with emphasis on restriction of the activities caused by your injuries, specific pains and the frequency of them, the frequency of medications taken, and the kind of medication. This diary may be useful to refresh your memory as to the occurrences that might be forgotten. This should be kept personal and may be as simple as jotting remarks on a calendar when appropriate.
• Keep any physical objects such as shoes or clothing that you had on at the time of the accident. We may need to use them as evidence at trial.
• The names of neighbors, friends, employees or relatives who knew of your activities both before and after the accident.

In addition, it is important that you provide our office with itemized receipts of:

• hospital bills
• doctor bills,
• ambulance bills,
• nursing bills, and
• drug bills

Also include all other expenses you incurred as a result of the accident including:

• travel to and from the doctor's office and any time you have missed from work as a result of these office appointments, and
• any additional help around the home or business that you have required (including babysitters or domestic or yard help).

Our personal injury attorneys can assist in evaluating your claim and can guide you through the process to obtain a personal injury claim that fairly compensates your loss.