Many people who have been been injured in a car accident, although through no fault of their own, are often times reluctant to hire an attorney, because “it was an accident.”  They have a misconception that if it was an “accident” no one is at fault, and therefore, each party should be responsible for his own damages.  Such is not the case and this misconception has prevented many people from recovering for their injuries.

Generally speaking, car accidents are always caused by someone’s negligence.  “Negligence” simply means that Party A breached a duty of care that he owed to Party B, causing Party B injury.  It does not mean that Party A acted intentionally or meant to injure Party B.  It simply means that Party A did not act in accordance with his duty.  To put this in perspective, if Party A is driving on an icy road and slides into the back of Party B’s car and injures Party B, Party A was negligent – Party A had a duty to not run into the back of Party B’s car and cause Party B injury.  Party A must make Party B whole for causing him injury.

A person who has been injured in an accident should always contact an attorney.  By hiring an attorney the injured person is merely protecting his rights to be made whole through compensation for the injuries he incurred.  Everyone has a right to not be injured by another person regardless of how that injury occurred.

Hiring an attorney does not make you “litigious” or “selfish” – it makes you smart.  Otherwise, you run the risk of being injured twice – once by the accident and another time by your failure to be compensated for your injuries.  If you have been injured in an accident conact the Utah Car Accident Law Firm to make sure you Get Protected!

If you have been injured in an auto accident and are thinking about bringing a law suit against the negligent driver and/or insurance company, consider the following 15 pointers to help you get your case started on the right foot.

1.         Talk to a Utah Auto Accident Attorney at SLF as Soon as Possible. Do not talk to anyone about your occurrence except one of the Utah Car Accident Lawyers at SLF. Do not even talk to your own insurance company or to any lawyers hired by your own insurance company without notifying us so that we may be present if we desire. We will generally want these statements taken in our office.

2.         Talk to Your Doctor. You should return to each of your doctors as often as necessary and should always tell them about all your complaints. You should not minimize your ailments to your doctors as it is one of his or her best ways of knowing how to treat you. If you see any additional doctors, be sure we are advised immediately of their names and addresses. If you need referral to a doctor please let us know. We keep a list of doctors we know and trust.

3.         Record of Complaints. Keep a daily or weekly record of your medical complaints and progress. This can be very helpful, when, a year later, you will be able to recall your pain and difficulties more vividly.

4.         Wages and Earnings Lost. Keep an accurate record of days lost from work because of your injuries.

5.         Auto Accident Report. As soon as possible, give the Utah Accident Injury Attorneys at our law firm any accident reports, police reports, and any letters or documents the insurance companies have sent you regarding the accident.

6.         Financial Records. One of the major things in your auto accident case may be the loss of income or potential income. We will need a copy of any union contract showing wage rates, copies of your W-2 forms, and your income tax returns for at least the last five years.

7.         Medical Records. As soon as possible, give the Utah Personal Injury Attorneys at SLF all relevant medical records.  If you continue to see your doctor, you will need to provide our office with any new and updated medical records.

8.         Medical Bills. Obtain and keep duplicate copies of all medical, hospital and drug bills. You should periodically send these original bills (keeping copies) to us for our files. Also keep records of any other expenses you may have in connection with your injury such as the hiring of extra help. All your bills should be paid by check or you should obtain and keep receipts. You should make and keep a list of all you medical bills and the costs incurred in going to your doctor.

9.         Witnesses. As soon as possible, give the Utah Car Wreck Lawyers at our office the correct names and addresses and telephone numbers of any and all witnesses you may learn of.

10.       Evidence. If your injury requires a cast, brace, traction, or other appliance, save it for evidence and trial. You should notify us that you are keeping these things and when the case is set for hearing you should bring these items with you.

11.       Photographs. Send us the negatives and prints of any photographs pertaining to your case which you or any of your friends have taken. Take photographs of all physical injuries that were caused by the accident, during the healing process. If you are required to be in the hospital and are receiving any type of treatment like traction or physical therapy, please notify our office so that we can have our investigator photograph you. Additionally, please furnish our office photographs of you with your family.

12.       Hospital and Doctor Bills. Have your own insurance carrier pay as many hospital and doctor bills under the medical payment provisions of your policy as possible. You should also have your hospitalization and insurance pay as much on your bills as possible. Doctors and hospitals are more cooperative when their bills are paid. You should not expect them to wait until your case is tried or settled to receive payment. You should, therefore, pay any balance as soon as possible.

13.       Questions. Once the Utah Auto Accident Attorneys at SLF start working on your case, we will probably not contact you until we have something definite to report. We will be contacting you for possible settlements, mediations, pre-litigation hearings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and when your case goes to trial, which may be in excess of one year from the time that suit is filed. If you have any specific questions in regard to these instructions or any other matters in regard to your case, please feel free to call or write us.

14.       Informing Your Team. Be sure to keep us advised of any change in your address or telephone number.  Please inform us if any of the following occur: your condition worsens; you get better; you have another accident, injury, complication or other illness; you are hospitalized; you change doctors or go to another doctor or you are referred by your doctor to a specialist; any other circumstances occur that you think will affect your claim or your health.

15.       Personal Websites. Be sure that any information you have posted about yourself online will not hurt your case.  You should assume that the defense lawyers will “Google” you and search for any online presence you may have.  This may include sites such as Myspace.com, Facebook.com, Etc…  You should remove any information that will be harmful to your case or any information you have posted online that you would not be comfortable having presented to a jury in your case.

If you have been injured in a car accident as a result of the negligence of another, you may be entitled to compensation. Don’t wait, call the experienced Utah Car Accident Attorneys at SLF today and Get Protected!