Making the Personal Injury Accidents Process is Easier Using the Personal Injury Timeline

If you have suffered an Injury caused by someone else’s negligence you may be stuck with a ton of bills; knowing how the personal injury timeline works will smoothed out the personal injury claims process for you and hopefully ensure that you do not have to pay for someone else’s accidents.

Step 1: What to Do at the Scene of Accidents

The first and most important step on the personal injury timeline is to remember to not panic. This will ensure that you follow the correct procedures in the moment so you can gain the compensation you deserve at a later stage.  To provide a basic overview of this step, you should take a lot of relevant pictures, keep all pertinent evidence and documents, keep copies of these documents as well as request an incident report copy, make sure to take down any witness details and, seek medical attention and in some cases, call the police.

Step 2: You Should Seek Medical Attention Right Away

The second step on the personal injury timeline is that whether or not you’re in pain, you should medical assistance as soon as is humanly possible, at the very least within 14 days,  because the adrenaline may have a numbing effect on you, lessening your ability to feel the potential pain in that moment. You should also remember to try and take photographs of the fresh injuries.

Step 3: Injury Lawyer Consultation

The third important step regarding the personal injury timeline, is that you should consult with an injury lawyer regardless of if your insurance has officially given you a diagnosis because if an injury lawyer does make the decision to take on your case, this could increase your chances of a higher settlement value. You should discuss the following with your injury lawyer, fee negotiations, the possible time length of your case and if they would be inclined to litigate on your behalf. On top of this, it is advisable to discuss no win no fee options with your relevant solicitor.

Step 4: Time to Investigate and Collect Medical Records

Your injury lawyer or an intake specialist will now collect all medical records and investigate your case. You should let your lawyer know about any medical changes such as if your medical information has changed or your doctor. You will also have to answer some important questions regarding your background information, a detailed accidents description and your medical history. This is because insurance companies sometimes use this information against individuals claiming that the accidents they experienced were not the cause of their injury but rather a pre-existing condition.

Step 5:  To Settle or to Go to Court?

The claim has now been sent to the third parties insurer or a demand letter has been given to them if they are not covered. This mean, it has now come to that that time in the Personal Injury claims process where you have to either settle or go to court. This decision should be thoroughly discussed with your Personal injury lawyer.

Step 6:  Filing a Lawsuit

If a settlement is not the right option, then it is time to file a lawsuit. This usually occurs because a lawsuit puts pressure on the relevant insurance company or third party to pay out more compensation or, in some cases, the amount of compensation that the claimant truly deserves.

Step 7:  The Beginning of Discovery

It is time now to start the process of discovery where parties on both sides investigate the other party where they look for information such as the applicable damages, medical practitioners, the injury type and the type of relevant accident.

Step 8: Mediation then Arbitration

Instead of jumping straight into a lawsuit, the lawyers will first try and reach an alternative through the process of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR); Both sides will gain a mediator for this mediation process.  If this does not work, they will go through an arbitration process, which unlike mediation, is binding. This process occurs between a defendant, plaintiff and an impartial third party.

Step 9: Going on Trial

You will have to go on trial if the settlement, mediation and arbitration all do not work. Both parties, in this case, will put forward their evidence and their side of the arguments.  In this case a judge an sometimes a jury will make the final conclusion.