A quick summary of the 4 key stages in a personal injury case have you been injured in an accident that was not your fault? You may be entitled to compensation. These are the 4 key stages you will have to go through to get it.
The accident
Obviously, without an accident and injury, you cannot file a personal injury lawsuit and people involved in lawsuits can get financial assistance. But some people don’t fully understand the importance of starting to build their case immediately after the accident. Even if you are still not sure that you want to start a procedure, it is wise to prepare for that possibility by doing the following:
- Document the accident scene using your cell phone camera
- Get the contact information for any witnesses
- Seek timely medical treatment
- Take pictures of visible injuries
Find a lawyer
The next step you should take is to find a qualified motorcycle accident attorney Jacksonville to help you with your case. Again, you don’t have to be 100 percent sure you want to file a lawsuit to take this step. Most attorneys, offer free initial consultations to help you understand the merits of your claim, the amount of compensation you may receive, and your next steps in proceeding with the case.
When looking for a personal injury attorney, be sure to:
- Confirm that the attorney is on good terms
- Ask if the attorney has experience with the specific type of accident and injury you have suffered
- Review the lawyer’s opinions and qualifications on an independent site.
- Discuss fees and expenses: Your attorney must cover all fees in advance and only demand reimbursement when you win the case.
Prepare your case
Once you have hired an attorney, you should immediately start working to obtain the evidence for your case. This will include reviewing the photographs and medical documents you collected in step 1, as well as requesting other documentation such as police reports and copies of pay stubs to show your loss of income.
Next, the lawyer will most likely prepare a demand letter that includes the facts of the case and the amount of compensation to which he or she believes you are entitled. This letter will be sent to the person responsible for your accident and your insurance company. If you do not receive a satisfactory response, your attorney will initiate a lawsuit. This includes:
File the complaint in court
- Issue a summons to the defendant
- Prepare you for deposition
- Participate in the discovery
- Select the jury
- Arguing the case in court
- Case resolution
Depending on how the defendant and your insurance company respond to your attorney’s steps, your case can be resolved in one of the following ways:
The insurance company responds to your demand letter with an acceptable settlement offer, before filing a claim. The case proceeds to discovery, at which point the defense realizes that their case is too strong for them to win in court, so they offer a settlement just before the court date. The case proceeds to the courts and the jury awards the damages they find fair.
