What Documentation to Bring When Meeting your Personal Injury Lawyer

Starting a personal injury case and planning to meet with your lawyer for the first time can be stressful and nerve-wracking. On top of that, you might be trying to manage your physical and emotional pain from your injury. To help the meeting go as smoothly as possible, you should know what documentation to bring. That way, you and your lawyer can get right to the important parts of your case and giving you peace of mind.

Documents to Bring with You

Personal injury cases can be sensitive. Depending on your injury, you could be dealing with a lot of pain that is hard for you to talk about. You might feel like you have to give out a lot of personal information for your case, but it actually helps you in the long run.

If you’ve never filed a personal injury case before, you probably don’t know what you need to bring for your first meeting with your attorney. You’ll want to be as prepared as possible, so here is a list of documentation to bring when meeting your personal injury lawyer:

• Medical records. Personal injury cases hinge on the medical documentation of your injuries. That means you should bring documents and bills from any hospital, doctor’s office, specialist, or physical therapist. These papers prove that you have been observed and treated for the injuries you claim you have, and they prove the date your pain started correlates to the day of the injury. This will give your lawyer the best idea of the pain you’re in, and how much compensation you might be able to receive.
• Financial records. If your injury caused you to miss work and pay, you should bring documents that show the dates you missed and how much money was lost. Your W2 and other payroll forms will help support your case. Any bills from mechanics for damages to your vehicle should also be included.
• Pictures of the scene. You can’t go back in time to do this, but if you took pictures of the scene, you should bring those along. Some helpful pictures would be of what caused your accident, any damage to property, and any injuries. Timestamps on the pictures can further prove your claims of injuries and damages.
• Police report. If you were in a car crash or your injury was the result of a crime, you should have filed a police report immediately following the accident. This report will have a detailed record of claims from both sides, who the officer believes is responsible, and a description of the scene. A police report is even more proof to support your claim, so bring that to your first meeting.
• Insurance information. For even more documented evidence, you should bring copies of your insurance policies as well as any correspondence between you and your insurance company regarding your accident. If another party was at fault for the accident, you’ll need their insurance information as well.
• Witness contacts. You should have gotten the contact information of any willing witnesses from the accident. Bring those with you to your meeting because witness statements can verify your claims even more.
• Timeline and personal account. Although this can’t be proven as well as the other documents, you should create a timeline of events so that you can organize your thoughts before meeting with your personal injury lawyer. You should also write down your personal account of the accident to keep your thoughts straight. This helps keep the meeting on track, and helps you remember everything you need to bring up with the attorney.

A Personal Injury Lawyer You Can Trust

When you’re filing a personal injury claim, you need a lawyer who you can trust. Attorney Corban Gunn in Biloxi, Mississippi, will ensure that you are comfortable and supported through this difficult time. You need to be able to focus on healing from your injury while we take care of the legal parts of your case. Contact us today for a free consultation with our Biloxi personal injury lawyer.