What actions should the victim of an accident take? If you were that victim, then you would want to follow these instructions:
Appreciate the traumatic event that you have experienced. Realize that its shocking nature may have dulled your body’s ability to sense pain. Take the time to visit a doctor or other medical facility as soon as possible.
Statute of Limitation
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer in St John’s. Learn the facts that any victim ought to know, such as the deadline for filing a personal injury lawsuit. If you were to hire that attorney, you could enjoy some assistance with the next step.Send a notice to the insurance company of the responsible party. Make clear your plans to submit a personal injury claim. If you were in a car accident, be sure to contact your own insurance company.
Collect the evidence. Consider returning to the site of the accident, in order to check for clues, as to how the collision took place. Arrange to preserve any photographs that were taken at shortly after the involved vehicles had collided. Make a point of preserving any other photographs as well, such as a picture of your injury, or of your damaged vehicle. Obtain an estimate for the cost of repairing the pictured damage.
Doctor’s orders need to be followed
Follow your doctor’s orders, with respect to your treatment. Save any doctor’s bills or bills from any of the visited medical facilities. If you paid for parking at such spots, save the stub that you were given at the parking lot. Pay attention to what your doctor says, so that you can know when you have achieved what is known as your maximum medical improvement (MMI). Once you have attained that stage, then you are ready to start negotiating with the insurance company.
Settling with the insurance company
If you determine ahead of time what amount of money would represent a minimally acceptable offer, then you should find it easier to settle with the same insurance company. If you and the adjuster fail to reach an agreement, then you must prepare to file a lawsuit. That means filing a complaint with the court.
Your lawyer could ask you to prepare for a deposition, which is part of a pre-trial discovery session. You and the insurance company might be able to settle your dispute following that discovery session.
If you do not, then the time has come for scheduling a trial. Your attorney will advocate for you in a courtroom, usually before a jury. In a personal injury case, the jury decides whether or not the defendant owes money to the plaintiff. If the jury decides in your favor, then it will also determine the size of any court-ordered judgment. However, you need to understand that the defendant could appeal the decision.