Most people who have an accident won't have used a personal injury lawyer before, and it's common to put the idea off for a few days or even weeks. This can seem natural—after all, you'll probably want to focus on feeling better and getting over the stress of whatever happened before having to start legal proceedings. While that's a natural reaction, it's far better to contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible when you've been involved in an accident.
Here are just a few reasons why.
Evidence Is Easier to Collect
One thing people often fail to consider is that evidence becomes much harder to collect the more time goes by after an accident—in fact, even a few days can make a big difference. For example, you may have been involved in a traffic accident that was captured by camera footage, but it's relatively common for such footage to only be kept for a certain amount of time. It would also be important to tie any evidence of damage to your vehicle to the accident as soon as possible to avoid the possibility of doubt.
Witnesses Provide More Information
Many personal injuries occur with witnesses around, and they are going to be some of your most important assets when making a claim. However, it can be harder to contact witnesses after even a few days, and they're less likely to remember all the pertinent detail if a little time has passed. As such, it makes sense to ensure they are talked to as soon as possible.
Physical Injuries Can Fade Quickly
It's quite common for people involved in an accident to delay seeing a doctor—in some cases, they won't realize they're seriously injured for a few days. A personal injury lawyer will make sure you see a doctor right away, and that's important since any signs of injury, especially external signs of injury, should be officially noted and documented before they have a chance to fade.
Insurance Companies Often Delay
Finally, keep in mind that the sooner you start legal proceedings the sooner you should get your claim paid. Unfortunately, many insurance companies like to delay things when they don't want to pay a claim, and you'll also have to account for the often slow speed of legal proceedings. You'll want to get your payment as soon as possible to help with any medical bills and other expenses, so it only makes sense to start without delay.
Contact a local personal injury lawyer for more information.
Share15 August 2022
Hello, my name is Jenny and this is my probate law blog. I should say now, I am not a lawyer and I have not had any professional legal training. However, I do know a thing or two about probate. I taught myself a lot after the death of my grandma. My grandma left a lot of money and property behind, but unfortunately, she didn't leave a will. This lead to several family members staking a claim on the inheritance. I instructed a lawyer to act on my mother's behalf to ensure that she was not cheated out of her share.