One of the most well-known practices of law is personal injury. After all, our TVs and highways are bombarded with advertisements promising big payouts from national law firms.
While the perception maybe that bigger is better, the attorneys at The Orlando Law Group know that more often than not, personal injury cases are about ensuring you receive the highest possible amount in the resolution for your particular injuries.
We believe the best way to accomplish those goals is to work with attorneys who partner with their clients and understand deeply what is most important to them.
However, the start of making that happen requires you to take the right steps to prepare for the case.
Here are 10 things you must do to position yourself for the best possible resolution of your personal injury case if you are in a car accident.
- Seek medical attention from a hospital, urgent care, physician or chiropractor right away. This is by far the single most important thing you can do. Don’t wait for pain to arrive thinking nothing is wrong. If you think you might have been injured, go visit a physician as soon as possible because if you do not go quickly, you might not be able to recover all of the damages you might be entitled to.
- Take photos. Your attorney will want to see any current conditions that surround your injury. Was it a wet floor or a cracked sidewalk? This may be the only way you can prove those conditions existed. Photos of the location, the incident, and your injuries (before and during healing) can all be essential in a potential injury case. If it is a car accident, photos of your car and any other cars are essential.
- Keep all correspondence, bills, medical records, and repair estimates. Create a separate file both on your computer and for hard copies. Print and save every medical record, medical bill, repair estimates, emails and letters that are connected to your accident.
- Even if you don’t believe someone is at fault, talk to an attorney. We’re trained to see things that could result in a favorable resolution to your case.
- Speak to an attorney before speaking to an insurance adjuster. It’s important to realize they are not looking out for you (even your own adjuster sometimes). Their goal is to try and pay you as little as possible for your injury – if at all.
- Don’t give recorded statements to insurance companies. Again, they are not your friend. They are trained to get you to say things that will hurt your case in the future. Don’t provide a statement without an attorney present.
- Don’t sign any settlement agreements with any insurance company. Did we say that insurance is not your friend? If you sign a settlement agreement, that is the end of the case, and it’s usually for much less than what you could have received if you are patient and retained an attorney.
- When you search for an attorney, ask to speak to the attorney. Most large firms do not connect attorneys with potential clients. Instead, you’re working with an intake specialist. Understand that if a lawyer won’t speak to you when they are asking for your business, chances are that will be the standard throughout the case too.
- Find an attorney you like and trust. A personal injury case can be emotional and complicated. You want to work with someone who you enjoy working with, not someone who talks over you or who doesn’t explain and take time to address your questions and concerns.
- Understand it takes time to get a resolution and it’s not always favorable. Personal injury cases have a lot of nuances and many steps to get to the final resolution. Be patient and understand our goal is to get you the best possible resolution as quickly as possible.
The team at The Orlando Law Group is here to help you. We take every case very personally and pride ourselves on working with our clients to help them and ensure they understand their options.
For instance, there was a woman who hired a large law firm. Suddenly, she got an email the firm had decided to close out her case without any further explanation.
It turned out there was no insurance available, meaning there was no money to go after for her injuries. However, The Orlando Law Group took the case and was able to get one of the parties to provide medical payments coverage to the client, so she received something to assist with medical bills. Otherwise, the client would have had to pay 100% of her medical bills out of pocket for an accident that she was not at fault for.
It was a pro bono case for The Orlando Law Group, but this woman was not just a number to us. She was a person who we could help, and we did because that is what we do.
Did you or a loved one sustain injuries in Orlando, Waterford Lakes, Altamonte Springs, Winter Garden, Lake Nona, St. Cloud, or Kissimmee? We’re here to help you with a full team of attorneys who care about you and your circumstance and treat you with compassion while seeking the best possible outcome for you and your loved ones. You’re not just a number at The Orlando Law Group.
The attorneys at The Orlando Law Group represent clients injured in Orlando, Waterford Lakes, Altamonte Springs, Winter Garden, Lake Nona, St. Cloud, Kissimmee, and throughout central Florida.
If you would like to schedule a free consultation for personal injury, please reach out to our office at 407-512-4394, fill out our online contact form or save this information in case you ever find yourself or a loved one needing to use it.
If you have questions about anything discussed in this article or other legal matters, give our office a call at 407-512-4394 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a consultation to discuss your case. We have an office conveniently located at 12301 Lake Underhill Rd, Suite 213, Orlando, FL 32828, as well as offices in Seminole, Osceola and West Orange counties to assist you.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.
Last Updated on October 10, 2022 by The Orlando Law Group
