Filing a Personal Injury Claim

 Posted on September 28, 2017 in Personal Injury

Suffering an injury, whether at work, as part of an auto accident or when simply walking down the street, can have a dramatic impact on one’s life. When faced with medical bills, loss of wage or the inability to perform everyday household tasks, an injured individual may pursue filing a personal injury claim to help cover related expenses.

Personal Injury Filing Criteria

A personal injury claim is a legal is a legal case, so it is important to understand and follow the rules and procedures in place to ensure that your filing is reviewed and processed without delay. Before filing your claim be sure one or more of the following criteria is met:

• Injury cannot be self-inflicted;
• The injury must have caused both financial hardship and physical suffering; and
• The injury in question must have occurred within the past three years.

What Types of Compensation Are Available?

A number of issues are considered when a personal injury claim is filed:

• Damages, or the cost of your injuries, may include both direct financial costs, as well as emotional and indirect costs;
• Compensatory damages refer to specific medical costs, loss of wages and/or property, and loss of one’s ability to earn as a result of the injury sustained;
• General damages refer to compensation sought for emotional distress, pain and suffering and other personal matters; and
• Punitive damages, which are intended to punish the defendant, may be awarded if negligence caused the injury.

Some Tips for When You Prepare to File Your Claim

It is important when preparing to file a personal injury claim that you take care to gather important information that will support your assertion of injury and pursuit of compensation:

• Collection personal and contact information of any witnesses and other parties involved;
• Photograph the location at which the injury occurred from a variety of angles;
• Collect, copy and keep files on all police reports, medical records and correspondence; and
• Keep a record of expenses incurred as a result of the injury, including therapy, transportation, loss of wages due to missed work, in-home assistance and prescriptions.

Obtain Proper Assistance from an Experienced Bloomingdale Personal Injury Lawyer

When you are injured it is important to follow prerequisite steps in order to ensure proper filing of any claims. Knowledgeable help is available from a Bloomingdale personal injury lawyer to ensure proper procedure is followed throughout the process. The Law Offices of David W. Clark, P.C. can be reached at 630-665-5678 to schedule an initial consultation, and begin discussing the steps that must be taken to ensure prompt filing.

Sources:

http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/personal-injury-claims-the-complete-guide-31042/

http://www.dmv.org/personal-injury/filing-a-claim.php

http://www.dmv.org/insurance/compensation-for-auto-accident-personal-injury-claims.php