What Should I Do After an Injury?

What you do in the moments immediately after an accident can affect your chances of receiving fair compensation through the injury claim you file later.

Let our attorneys know if you were able to do the following after your accident or injury:

• Document and report: Photographs of the scene of the accident are pivotal pieces of evidence in most personal injury claims and lawsuits. When an accident happens at a place of business, an accident report should be filled out and you should get a copy of it. If your injuries are severe, or there has been a car accident that left debris in the road, then 911 should be called.
• Seek medical attention: Emergency responders will take you to the hospital if you are severely injured. But if you are not, then you still need to take yourself to urgent care or have a family member take you. You could have underlying injuries that you won’t notice right away. A doctor’s initial diagnosis can help preserve your health and clearly establish when your injuries happened and what most likely caused them.

Of course, after a serious injury, you should also speak with local personal injury attorneys, like those you can find here at Walner Law® in Chicago. We are well-versed with Illinois’s liability laws, as well as how courts, juries, insurance companies, and other parties all tend to operate within the city and Cook County.

What Constitutes a Personal Injury Claim?

An injury suffered because of someone else’s carelessness is the basis of a personal injury claim. In legal terms, the carelessness that caused your injury is called “negligence.” Some acts of negligence can seem relatively harmless while others can cause you and your family years of pain and hardship.

The elements that must be present in a personal injury claim include:

• You suffered an injury.
• Someone else’s negligence caused your injury.
• Your injury caused you harm or certain losses.

An injury alone is not enough to show personal injury. You must have suffered some sort of loss or harm from your injuries. This extra caveat is meant to keep “frivolous” lawsuits out of the court system. The compensation awarded for these losses is called “damages.”

Damages in a typical personal injury claim or lawsuit will include:

• Lost income
• Medical expenses
• Property damage
• Emotional pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Loss of normal life

If you think you may have a personal injury claim, then your next step should be to contact our Chicago personal injury attorneys to schedule a consultation. During your consultation, we will listen to the details of your case and determine whether you should move forward with a personal injury claim.