If you are injured due to someone else’s negligence and your insurance claims are being denied, you need to speak with a personal injury lawyer. After an injury, medical bills can rack up quickly and you may lose wages from missed time at work. Furthermore, the pain and suffering you experience can affect your life significantly. Getting prepared and speaking with an auto injury lawyer is your best bet to getting your life back on track. Here are a few tips to properly prepare for a personal injury case.

Seek Medical Attention ASAP

Whether it’s an auto accident, a slip and fall, or another type of injury, your first concern should be yourself and your health. As soon as you can, seek medical attention from a qualified healthcare provider. They will get you through the healing process and take thorough notes about your injury. Obviously, you want to fully recover from any injury, but your doctor and the notes from the visits will be vital pieces of information during your personal injury case.

Collect Evidence at the Scene

If you are able to collect evidence at the scene before you seek medical attention, do it. Take photos, collect the names and information of the witnesses and people responsible, speak to police if they are on the scene, and do anything else that you think is pertinent to paint the full picture of the accident.

If you are injured in an auto accident, the scene will be cleaned up relatively quickly for the safety of other drivers on the road. Going back a day or two later is not an option. You need to conduct an initial investigation to collect evidence as soon as the accident happens.

Find a Reputable Lawyer

If your insurance company or those of the at-fault party are refusing to pay for damages, you need to find an excellent personal injury lawyer or auto injury attorney. Here are a few tips for finding the right lawyer:

• Referrals and Reviews – Collect as many referrals from trusted sources as you can. If you know someone who was in a similar situation, see if they were satisfied with their lawyer. You can also check online reviews of different law firms and compare them with one another to see who’s the highest rated.
• Research Lawyer/Law Firm – Go to the website of the potential lawyers and law firm. See if they specialize in the legal areas your case falls under. See if they have recent cases posted to their site that you can review.
• Consultation – Schedule a consultation with a few of the lawyers who seem like a good fit. Usually, attorneys offer these consultations free of charge. This will allow you to get more in-depth information on the law firm, including the fee structure they work on. Most personal injury lawyers work on compensation fees, meaning you don’t pay until the case is settled. You will also get a chance to get a gut feeling about the lawyers, which should not be ignored.

Stay Organized

A personal injury lawyer will help greatly with this part of the task, but you need to do a lot of the groundwork. Make sure you save medical bills, records of lost wages, and details about the pain and suffering the injury has caused. Keeping a journal can help with the last point. All of these will be critical to building an air-tight case.

Follow a Treatment Plan

Follow the treatment plan your doctor has laid forth. Don’t miss any appointments, take medicine as prescribed, and heed any other instructions they give you. Failing to follow your doctor’s treatment plan will hurt your case significantly.

Know When to Settle

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 90-95% of personal injury lawsuits are settled before ever making it to trial. You may receive multiple settlement offers during your case, and it’s important to work with your personal or auto injury lawyer to know when it’s time to settle. Your attorney is your biggest advocate, and you chose them because you trust them to do right by you. If they say it’s time to settle, then listen to them. Otherwise, you may rack up more court and legal fees that put an even greater burden on you.

Getting a settlement from insurance companies is an arduous task, but you deserve to fight for your entitled compensation. If you are looking for auto injury, personal injury, bicycle injury, or motorcycle injury lawyers in Fort Collins, CO, Burton & Beale can help you. With 60 years of experience, we know what it takes to get the job done. Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation.