To help you prepare for legal representation and avoid some key mishaps, we provide clients useful information and advice, including this list of DOs and DON’Ts for your injury claim.
DOs
Make sure you follow these important tips when filing an injury claim:
- Do everything you can to get well. This generally involves following your doctor’s advice, keeping appointments and following treatment recommendations.
- Keep us informed of your medical treatment and names of your treating doctors. You do not need to report each and every doctor visit, but we want to know generally how you are doing and if there are any significant changes in your health or treatment.
- Be absolutely honest with your doctors and let them know all of the pain, symptoms and limitations you experience. The insurance company representing the person who caused your injury will argue that failure to report a complaint or condition means that it didn’t exist.
- Obtain receipts or bills for all medical treatment, drugs, medical appliances or anything else purchased by you as a result of your accident, and mail them to my offices (whether paid by insurance or not). If there are any other expenses you have incurred, including those for hiring persons to perform housework or any other services for you, make sure that you have written documentation for the expense.
- Notify us if you are required to miss any work due to your injuries, and keep our office advised of the date you return to work. Work absences, and any lost wage claims, must be documented by your doctor either through a release from work note and/or an entry in your medical chart indicating inability to work for a specified period of time due to your injuries. If you are self employed, keep a record of all times you are unable to work or perform your duties and discuss with us how we might best demonstrate your loss of income.
- Notify our office at once of any change in your employment, residence, phone number, insurance or other basic information, or if you will be out of town for an extended period of time.
- Please communicate with our office if you have any questions or feel that something may affect your case.
DONT’s
When filing an injury claim, avoid the following actions:
- Do not lose your health insurance coverage or allow it to lapse.
- Do not sign anything without our approval.
- Do not discuss your claim or give statements to any insurance company representatives (including your own), their investigators, or the person who has caused your injury or anyone else–instead, give them my telephone number. Communications should only be made with members of my offices, your family and friends, your doctors, or other persons we authorize.
- Do not post information or images of your injuries or your claim online, including but not limited to personal websites, blogs, message boards or social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or MySpace.
- Do not discuss with your doctors any communications you have with me or my offices unless specifically advised to do so. Your doctors do not need to know anything about your claim other than information needed to assist them in your medical treatment.
Please follow this personal injury checklist of DOs and DON’Ts — they will assist our firm and help you to facilitate resolution of your claim. If you have any questions, please contact us.