While it might be obvious in the immediate aftermath of a personal injury, the clock is ticking.
The hours and days that follow a personal injury are likely to be overwhelming. Whether the harm stems from a car accident, a slip and fall, a dog bite, a defective product, negligent medical care, or a work-related incident, it’s important to know what to do and when to do it.
Consider these five things you should do within the first 24 hours after a personal injury.
1. Immediately Seek Medical Attention
Your health is of utmost importance. In the event of an accident, the adrenaline rush can sometimes mask the pain from injuries sustained. Problems like concussions and soft tissue injuries can occur after an accident. They can, unfortunately, worsen if not addressed.
By receiving immediate medical care, you can ensure that any injuries are accurately diagnosed and treated immediately. Further, a record of your injuries will help if you hire a personal injury lawyer to pursue a claim for compensation. The insurance company will try to claim your injury resulted from something other than the accident, so seeking medical attention is vital.
Although emergency treatment may not be necessary, seeking a doctor, urgent care, or a hospital within the first 24 hours will go a long way toward maintaining your health and providing useful documentation.
2. Document All Accident-Related Information Available
When possible, write or record the following information: the time, place, and circumstances of the incident. Pay particular attention to hazardous conditions, the weather, the lighting, or anything else that may have contributed to the accident. Photographs and videos of the incident scene, injuries, and damage can often be very useful.
It’s also essential to get the contact details of any witnesses. Their corroborating testimony may be useful when your personal injury lawyer works on your case.
3. Report the Injury to the Appropriate Party
In most cases, the injury needs to be reported as soon as possible. If the injury happened while at work, the company needs to be notified immediately. If the injury happened on someone else’s property, the owner or the person in charge needs to be notified. If the injury happened while driving, the authorities need to be notified, and you need to contact your insurer.
When making an official report of the event, you’re establishing an official record of the event. Make sure you’re being factual and accurate. Stick to the facts as you know them.
Failure to report an injury may lead to problems in the future, especially when there is a dispute about when and how an injury occurred.
4. Be Careful About What You Say and Share
It’s only human to want to discuss an injury after it has occurred. Nevertheless, it’s important to be mindful about what you say and to whom you say it — especially during the initial 24 hours.
Avoid making statements that minimize your own injuries and/or blame. And be careful about posting on social media sites. Pictures or updates made shortly after the injury may be used to question the severity of the injury.
5. Keep a Record of All Expenses and Impacts Immediately
Personal injuries also have immediate economic consequences, such as medical bills and prescriptions, transportation expenses, and lost wages. Keeping track of these things from day one is vital. Your personal injury lawyer will need these details when working on your case.
Some people don’t realize the importance of timely action after a personal injury. Being proactive in the first 24 hours will put you on the right path.
After an accident, it can be hard to know exactly what to do. But what you do within the first 24 hours of a personal injury can either help or hurt your cause. It’ll be easier to pick up the pieces and move on with your life if you avoid some of the headaches that can hinder your case.
Getting better will be hard enough as it is. The last thing you need is to make things harder.
