How to Make Your Case

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When you are injured, your first thought is probably not about a lawsuit; that usually does not come until much later. Your first thought is about your health and/or your family. However, by the time you get around to thinking about a lawsuit and/or an attorney, so much opportunity to help your case has been lost. Here are a few things you might want to do right after you are injured to help create the best possible case for you to pass on to your attorney.

First, Get It On Film

Photos and camcorder video are inexpensive ways to preserve facts for future use; take pictures from many different distances and angles. Do not spare on film or cost. Always have back-up copies, in case the originals are lost or your computer crashes. Nothing captures the scene of a wreck like a camera shot showing the pieces of a cars strewn in an intersection. Words cannot capture the distress of seeing a child laying in a hospital bed, hooked up to a ventilator and clinging to life, after being brutally attacked.

Second, Document Everything

You only get one chance of capturing that first thought you had as the other car was plowing into the front of your vehicle or as you were laying on the ground after a fall. If you have not already done so, sit down and write out everything that happened right around your injury. No detail is too small! Don't worry about grammar or spelling; this is just getting all the facts committed to paper, so that you don't have to just rely on your memory later on.

Third, Keep A Journal

You may have a present memory of a particularly painful day that will be difficult to recall if not written down right away. There is a difference between telling a jury that you had trouble sleeping after your head was split open and being able to bring in a journal showing that you had no more than two (2) hours of continuous sleep, on any one night, for seventeen (17) consecutive nights. Or where you show that your children had two (2) years of birthdays which you missed because you could not travel to visit with them.

Fourth, Remember Cell Phone Records

Cell phone records will help you remember whom you called and when, right before and after you were injured. Get them and review them. Make notes about your conversations.

Fifth, Make A Witness List

Keep a list of people who might know something about your injuries and recovery. As you do this, put down their names, addresses, phone numbers, and what they might know.

Sixth, Collect Your Information

You want to illustrate the difference between your life before and after your injury. Your pharmacy and medical records reflect bills for past treatment, diagnostic tests, and/or procedures. If they show an otherwise healthy person, the contrast with your present deteriorating condition, your medical records may drive home the point. Similarly, work-related records such as worker's compensation, unemployment compensation, and tax returns all may help you compare your successful past work history with your present limitations.

If and when you decide to hire an attorney to file a lawsuit, he/ she will be very pleased to discover you have planned and prepared for it. The things you can do will help create a stronger case. Ultimately, that means better potential outcome for you and your family.