If you have been injured in an incident that was someone else’s fault, whether you were involved in a car accident, received poor medical care or your safety was jeopardized by someone else’s negligence, you may want to consider filing a personal injury claim to receive restitution for your pain and suffering.
In most personal injury cases, the accident and its aftermath seriously impacts the victim’s life, affecting everything from his or her health to the individual’s daily living routines.
If you are filing a personal injury claim, you need to take immediate action and follow the proper procedures to ensure your claim is handled quickly and correctly in the courts. Below, our personal injury attorneys highlight the components of a typical PI claim:
- Health and medical care – A personal injury accident will often leave you with some degree of injury or harm. Immediately after the incident, you should seek medical attention either at an emergency room if your injuries are serious (or the collision warrants it), or with your personal family physician.
Even if you do not have apparent injuries right away, or if you don’t feel any pain, you are still at risk for injury or trauma that could crop up in the days and even weeks following the accident. The sooner you visit the doctor, the sooner you can comprehend the extent of your injuries and include them in your claim.
A doctor’s visit should also bring to light any potential long-term complications of your injury, including surgical needs, medications or further medical treatment. All of these factors should be included in your claim.
- Pain and suffering – All the money in the world cannot erase the pain and suffering caused by some accidents, especially in cases where the suffering is on-going or seriously debilitating. Victims often have little closure after an accident, no matter how their lawsuit goes. But restitution can ease some of the burden of paying for bills and handling pain with the best treatment options available. Seeing justice served in court can also help victims cope with the emotional suffering involved.
- Affected income or earnings – If you are injured, you may need to take time off work, even if it is only a day to go to the doctor. You may need to go on short-term or long-term disability, or you may be forced to give up your job altogether. If this is happening to you on top of the expenses incurred in your accident, you should include this in your claim. Your lost earnings can be listed as part of the negative effects of your injuries and the at-fault party should be made to pay restitution.
Your injury could take a great deal of time out of your life with doctor’s visits, rehabilitation and possibly even loss of mobility or activity restrictions that could prevent you from leading your normal life. All of these changes can slow your recovery and prevent you from getting your life back on track.
A New Jersey personal injury attorney can help you gain back some peace of mind and financial help to ease yourself back in. At Helmer, Conley, and Kasselman, PA, we can guide you through the process of filing your claim. Contact one of our attorneys for a consultation today.
