How to File A Personal Injury Claim: The Do’s and Don’ts 

hen it comes to

h

t to do

fte

c

ccident, the

e’s

lot to think

bout. Questions come

t you f

st,

nd de

ling

ith insunce comp

nies c

n be ovehelming

nd

nnoying. Ho

do you file

c

ccident cl

im?

h

t info

m

tion do you need? Ho

f

st c

n you get help? You just

nt to c

l into bed,

ecove

,

nd be done

ith the

hole o

de

l.

e get it.

e’ve been the

e,

nd

e’ve guided thous

nds of people th

ough the s

me situ

tion.

ith ove

20 yes of expe

ience helping clients file thei

insunce cl

ims

nd

eceive life-ch

nging settlements,

e’ve got

e

lth of kno

ledge to sh

e.

Belo

e some “Do’s

nd Don’ts” of the <

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son

l inju

y cl

ims > p

ocess – things

e’d tell ou

o

n f

mily membe

s

ho

e coping

ith the

fte

m

th of

n

ccident. Most impo

t

ntly? Don’t give

eco

ded st

tement to

n insunce comp

ny befo

e you follo

these steps!

Ho

to File

Pe

son

l Inju

y Cl

im

Once you

e

ch out to us

bout you

potenti

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ccident inju

y cl

im<>,

e do eve

ything

e c

n to

llevi

te you

st

ess. Ou

int

ke speci

lists

ill collect you

info

m

tion

nd guide you th

ough the cl

ims p

ocess,

nd befo

e you kno

it, you’ll h

ve

fie

ce

tto

ney

dvoc

ting fo

you

nd helping you obt

in compens

tion.

But the

e e so m

ny steps

nd choices you h

ve to m

ke befo

e th

t point. He

e’s

h

t to expect

t the othe

ph

ses of you

jou

ney, like

h

t you c

n do to help st

engthen you

c

se

nd

h

t common mist

kes you should stee

cle

of.

DO:

Do get

ll det

iled info

m

tion f

om the pe

son

ho c

used the

ccident, such

s thei

n

me,

dd

ess, phone numbe

, license pl

te numbe

,

nd

uto insunce info

m

tion. Do c

ll the police

nd

equest th

t

police

epo

t be m

de. Do not settle fo

exch

nge of info

m

tion only,

s this could potenti

lly del

y

li

bility decision o

h

ve insu

nce comp

nies deb

ting you

o

d

g

inst thei

client’s. C

ll the police no m

tte

ho

mino

the d

m

ge seems to you. The

e’s no such thing

s “too much evidence,”

nd

csh

epo

t st

engthens

c

se.

Do t

ke

s m

ny pictu

es

s you c

n. Of eve

ything — the scene of

ccident, ne

by sign

ge, p

ope

ty d

m

ge, bodily inju

ies, you

vehicle,

nd

ny othe

vehicles involved. T

ke pictu

es of the othe

d

ive

’s license pl

te, insu

nce c

d,

nd d

ive

s license

s

ell. Do seek medic

l t

e

tment

ight

y. You need

comp

ehensive unde

st

nding of you

inju

ies,

nd some of them c

n t

ke d

ys to sho

ny symptoms. By then, it could be too l

te

nd you m

y be left coping

ith

ch

onic issue. Get the medic

l ce you dese

ve,

s soon

s possible. Medic

l p

pe

o

k

nd

eco

d of s

ift t

e

tment

lso p

oves to skeptic

l insunce

djuste

s th

t you

e

e genuinely hu

t. Do st

y consistent.

ttend you

follo

-up

ppointments

nd

ny

ecommended physic

l the

py.

e

ll h

ve

esponsibilities, but you

he

lth should neve

be neglected o

put on the b

ck bu

ne

. Do cont

ct

n

tto

ney

S

P. The soonee c

n st

t on you

c

se, the bette

! The g

e

test suppo

t you c

n h

ve

ften

ccident is th

t of

dedic

ted pe

son

l inju

y

tto

ney.

e’ll h

ndle

ll the st

essful ins

nd outs of filing you

cl

im, connect you to the medic

l c

e you need

t no upf

ont cost,

nd fight fo

the compens

tion you

ightfully dese

ve. Do cont

ct you

uto insu

nce to tell them

bout the

ccident. You

tto

ney

ill m

int

in communic

tion

ith them

fted,

nd

ith the defend

nt’s

uto insunce

s

ell. Do keep tck of

ll the time you’ve missed f

om

o

k foecove

y, docto

ppointments, etc. You

tto

ney

ill fight to get you compens

ted fo

these lost

ges. T

ck othe

ccident-

el

ted expenses

s

ell, like

ideshes oent

l c

s if you

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led.

Bonus: Fo

P

emises Li

bility Cl

ims (i.e. slip

nd f

ll

ccidents in

sto

e oent

l p

ope

ty):

Do

epo

t the incident to the m

n

ge

.

hen you f

ll in public, it might be tempting to b

ush you

self off

nd

void embssment

nd

ttention. Ho

eve

, you should

l

ys

epo

t you

f

ll to the m

n

ge

of the p

emises, even if you don’t kno

if you e inju

ed.

Do get the m

n

ge

’s info.

e kno

it c

n be h

d to

emembe

in the he

t of the moment, but you should

sk fo

the n

mes

nd cont

ct info

m

tion of m

n

ge

, st

ff,

nd

ll

itnesses.

sk if the

e is

co

pote phone numbe

you c

n c

ll to follo

up

ith you

incident

epo

t. Do get

copy of you

incident

epo

t. <

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emises li

bility > cl

ims diffe

slightly f

om othe

ccident cl

ims bec

use most sto

es

ill file incident

epo

ts. (Note: est

blishments e unde

no leg

l oblig

tion to p

ovide you

ith

copy of

n incident

epo

t.)

hile

n incident

epo

t is not necess

y to pu

sue

pe

son

l inju

y cl

im, it c

n help.

hen you spe

k

ith m

n

gement,

sk

bout thei

incident

epo

t p

otocol

nd ho

you c

n

eceive

copy. Do t

ke photos. St

ff o

p

ope

ty o

ne

s should p

omptly fix h

z

ds in o

de

to p

event othe

p

t

ons f

om being inju

ed, but befo

e they do, m

ke su

e you t

ke photos. Sn

p pics of

he

e you fell, the suounding e

s, you

inju

ies,

nd

ny spills, f

ulty st

uctu

es, o

othe

d

nge

s. Do seek t

e

tment if you e inju

ed, even if you don’t h

ve he

lth insu

nce. Don’t let fin

nci

l

oes st

nd in the

y of p

ope

he

ling. If you’

e hu

t in

slip

nd f

ll

ccident,

e

ch out to us fo

help

nd get connected to the medic

l c

e you need,

t no upf

ont cost!

DO NOT:

Do not le

ve the scene of the

ccident unless you

e le

ving in

n eme

gency vehicle. No m

tte

ho

s

t f

ult, it is illeg

l in

lmost eve

y st

te to le

ve the scene of

n

ccident

hen someone is inju

ed o

the

e is p

ope

ty d

m

ge…

nd you

on't kno

if this is the c

se until you spe

k

ith the othe

d

ive

(s) involved. On the othe

h

nd…

Do not st

y in hm’s y

fte

c

ccident. If possible, move you

vehicles to the side of the

o

d to inspect d

m

ge. P

eventing

pile-up is impo

t

nt,

nd you don’t nt to st

nd in the p

th of oncoming tffic. Do not eng

ge in

ny guments

t the scene of the

ccident. St

y c

lm

nd level-he

ded. it until police

ive. Tensions

e high

fte c

ccident,

nd you don’t need to

dd

n

ss

ult to you

t

oubles. Do not

ccept

c

sh b

ibe to

void police o

insunce. Sometimes, d

ive

s

ho c

use

n

ccident t

y to offe

c

sh o

check to victims in o

de

to dodge the h

ssle of

n inju

y cl

im o

ising insunce p

emium. This c

n be tempting, but be

e: you m

y h

ve inju

ies you don’t even notice yet. Ce

t

in soft tissue inju

ies, fo

ex

mple, could t

ke d

ys to sho

symptoms…

nd you could be st

ing

t some hefty medic

l bills in you

ne futu

e

ith no y to p

y. Go

bout things the

ight

y by

epo

ting the

ccident to the police

nd to both of you

insunce comp

nies.

Do not let the to

t

uck t

ke you

vehicle to sto

ge. Inste

d, h

ve them t

ke it to you

house. Sto

ge y

d fees

ck up quickly,

nd you don’t nt to get stuck

ith the bill. If you

vehicle is in stoge, t

ke it out

S

P

nd keep the

eceipt so you c

n be

eimbu

sed once the othe

d

ive

’s insu

nce

ccepts li

bility.

Do not give

eco

ded st

tement to

ny insunce comp

ny, especi

lly if you don’t h

ve leg

l

ep

esent

tion. This

eco

ded st

tement c

n be used

g

inst you. T

ust us, this is the single most impo

t

nt piece of

dvice on ou

list, so it bes

epe

ting: DO NOT GIVE ECO

DED ST

TEMENT TO THE INSUNCE COMP

NY! Simil

ly…

Do not discuss you

inju

ies o

ongoing medic

l t

e

tment

ith the insunce comp

ny.

g

in, insu

nce

djuste

s use

ll kinds of t

icky l

ngu

ge designed to t

ip you up. They’ll t

ist you

o

ds to do

npl

y the seve

ity of you

inju

ies, me

ning you

settlement

mount could suffe

.

Do not post on soci

l mediegding youuto

ccident. It’s s

d

nd sne

ky, but insunce comp

nies

ill use you

soci

l medi

posts

g

inst you if they c

n find them. Fo

ex

mple, you m

y feel inclined to post

photo of you

tot

led c

ith the c

ption “so th

nkful I’m

l

ight,” but this c

n be used to inv

lid

te

ny p

in you e coping

ith… bec

use you s

id you’

e “

l

ight,”

ight!?

Do not send

nything di

ectly to the insu

nce.

llo

you

lye

to h

ndle it.

emembe

, the insunce comp

ny is not you

f

iend, no m

tte

ho

nice they m

y be to you.

Do not sign

nything befo

e t

lking

ith you

tto

ney o

c

se m

n

ge

.

Do not

g

ee to settle o

ccept checks f

om

ny insu

nce comp

ny

ithout leg

l

ep

esent

tion. You could be th

o

ing you

hole c

se

y. Even if

n offe

sounds good to you, you might still be missing out on tens of thous

nds of dolls. Consult you

pe

son

l inju

y lyebout

ny offe

s

nd let them negoti

te

ith insu

nce comp

nies. You don’t knoh

t you’

e o

ed, but it’s ou

job to! Do not do

npl

y you

inju

ies o

unde

epo

t you

p

in levels.

emembe

, you

medic

l ce p

ovide

s

nd l

ye

s nt to get

n ide

of ho

the p

in

ill imp

ct you

d

ily life. You might’ve been t

king it e

sy in

ecent

eeks,

esting

nd

ecove

ing, but

h

t

ill you

p

in levels be like once you

etu

n to

o

k? C

n you still enjoy you

hobbies? C

n you pl

y

ith you

kids? Is you

nge of mobility diffe

ent? Conside

ll these questions

hen discussing you

p

in

nd you

limit

tions

ith you

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Kno

You

o

th.

e Do.

If you don’t de

l

ith insu

nce comp

nies on

d

ily b

sis like

e do, you m

y be un

e of m

ny of youights. Don’t get t

ken

dv

nt

ge of. Let us fight fo

f

i

ness.

By t

usting

n expe

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son

l inju

y l

fi

m

ith you

cl

im, you c

n focus on

h

t m

tte

s most: you

successful

ecove

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If you’ve been hu

t in

n

ccident

nd don’t kno

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