Information Needed to Process a Personal Injury Claim
If you have been the victim of a personal injury incident, you might be thinking about what you can do to make it easier to process your personal injury claim. Other articles on this website have already discussed how parties can take certain steps to gather evidence in anticipation for a lawsuit. However, attorneys also need different kinds of information to process a personal injury claim, and collecting all of this information will make it easier for a lawyer to evaluate a case and pursue a recovery.
Medical Providers
Perhaps the most important materials attorneys need when evaluating a personal injury case are medical records. Attorneys require this information to process a personal injury claim, since medical records discuss the nature and extent of the injuries suffered by a party. In addition, medical records may include details about what a party said about how an accident occurred, which can support a case. Furthermore, medical records can show that a party has spent considerable resources after suffering an accident.
Obtaining medical information to process a personal injury claim can be a time-consuming process. Federal and state laws limit medical providers from providing medical records without the proper authorization. The first step towards obtaining medical information to process a personal injury claim is for the client to sign required authorizations. Then, an attorney will mail or fax the authorization to a healthcare provider directing where medical records should be sent. Normally, it takes 2-4 weeks to receive medical records, so it is important to begin this process as soon as possible.
Sometimes, medical providers will provide their records directly to their patients for free and in less time than if they go through the process of formally demanding them. As such, parties can often move the process along faster if they obtain medical records on their own. Since medical records are important to pre-suit settlements and during litigation, it is important to obtain medical information to process a personal injury claim.
Discovery Responses
After a personal injury lawsuit has been filed, parties need to exchange information with one another. Sometimes, like in New Jersey, there are standard questions that are asked of parties in certain types of cases, and parties need to provide answers to the other parties at a given stage of the lawsuit. However, even if no standard questions are asked in a given type of proceeding, there are certain types of questions and documents that are typically asked and demanded in personal injury lawsuits.
For instance, parties routinely demand that the other party turn over any photographs they may have taken of the scene where an accident took place. In addition, parties also demand the names of plaintiff’s healthcare providers, and authorizations so that they can obtain plaintiff’s medical records. Furthermore, parties also frequently ask for the names and contact information of any known witnesses to the incident giving rise to a lawsuit.
An experienced lawyer should know the types of documents that need to be produced, and questions that need to be answered, when parties exchange information to process a personal injury claim. They should then be able to prepare their client to begin gathering this information so it is as easy as possible to satisfy everyone’s demands for information and materials during a lawsuit.
Out-Of-Pocket-Costs
Personal injury victims are oftentimes forced to shell out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on out-of-pocket expenses. Some typical out-of-pocket-expenses include medical costs, paying people to perform household tasks, childcare costs, and other expenses. In some cases, out-of-pocket costs can include property damage, such as destruction of items in car collisions, and damage to household property after a ceiling collapse.
Out-of-pocket expense amounts are important information to process a personal injury claim, since these costs can usually be recovered. However, it is important to itemize each expense so that defendants understand exactly how much money the other party spent. In addition, the process of recording expenses is ongoing, since parties typically spend more money over time. In any case, it is important to keep receipts and record all out-of-pocket costs so that you can ensure that these expenses will be reimbursed.
Personal Information
In order to properly process a personal injury claim, an attorney needs to know information about a plaintiff and their family. As mentioned in a few prior articles, the value of a personal injury case is largely dependent on how old a plaintiff is, their employment status, their family status, and a number of other factors. It is therefore important that a lawyer understand your personal background, so they have sufficient information to process a personal injury claim. It is also important that attorneys understand how injuries have impacted someone, since this will also affect the value of a case. As a result, it is also important for attorneys to know how injuries have impacted daily routines, household chores, job duties, and any activity that is important to a plaintiff.
Collecting information to process a personal injury claim can be a burdensome process, and it might be complicated to collect all names, addresses, costs, and other details relevant to a personal injury claim. However, a skilled personal injury attorney should know what kinds of information is important to gather, and can ensure that a plaintiff will be troubled as little as possible when collecting information. The Rothman Law Firm has substantial experience collecting information to process a personal injury claim. If you are looking for an experienced New Jersey and New York personal injury lawyer, please feel free to contact The Rothman Law Firm to request a free legal consultation.