August 8, 2022
personal injury

After a personal injury accident, you may spend days or weeks in the hospital recovering. Seeking legal advice is important during your recovery in the hospital to prove that the negligence of another party caused your injuries.

A Montgomery personal injury lawyer from The Vance Law Firm can review your medical records, put together your claim, and file within the statute of limitations.

What a Lawyer Can Do for You While You’re in the Hospital

While still in the hospital, call your attorney as soon as possible. Your personal injury lawyer can work with you to gather crucial information about your case, including the types of treatment you received and how much they cost.

The evidence they gather during this early period in your recovery can help your lawyer argue your case later on. Building and filing your claim from the hospital can help show how your injuries affect your quality of life, from your diminished ability to return to work to your inability to enjoy daily activities.

Review your medical records

In many cases of personal injury, the other party’s insurance company may request your medical records. An attorney specializing in personal injury knows how to read medical records and use them in a personal injury claim. These records can show the severity of your injury, the extent of treatment you require, and how the injuries were caused.

If you suffered a traumatic brain injury or broken bones, your records can prove there was no pre-existing condition or injury prior to the accident. These elements are crucial to proving negligence and winning a personal injury case.

Calculate damages

The medical records of your injury can help you estimate your costs. This information can ‌determine how these injuries affect your financial resources and their impact on your everyday life.

For instance, a traumatic brain injury can leave you unable to perform the same work duties as before due to extensive physical therapy and vocational rehabilitation. Your lawyer can assess your current and future medical bills and lost wages. They may advise you to keep a journal of your healing injuries so that you can document your pain and suffering over time.

By contacting an attorney from The Vance Law Firm while you are in the hospital, your lawyer can get a head-start on calculating your damages to file an accurate claim.

Recover all evidence

While you are in the hospital, your lawyer can also recover evidence from the scene of the incident. Witnesses can help establish who was at fault and how the event occurred. If there were surveillance cameras from local businesses at the time of the incident, your lawyer may‌ obtain video footage.

For example, if the car that rear-ended you was caught on camera, it would demonstrate the speed at which the negligent driver was going. Witnesses may report seeing the driver swerve and speed past a red light. With these pieces of evidence, your attorney can hold the driver responsible for your injuries.

File your claim within the statute of limitations

In Alabama, personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the date of injury. After the end of the statute of limitations, you may be barred from filing your claim.

It’s crucial to hire an attorney as soon as possible after your accident, even if you are still in the hospital. Some recoveries take weeks, months, or years; if you wait too long, it may be more difficult for an attorney to gather evidence and file your claim in time.

Insurance companies often try to delay or deny settlement payments to accident victims. When you contact a lawyer immediately about your case, you speed up the process and force insurance companies to negotiate rather than push back their settlement offer.

Talk to an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney Today

At The Vance Law Firm, one of our lawyers will meet you at the hospital after your accident. We understand that victims in hospitals may have mobility issues or may not have access to their computers or phones, so we offer multiple ways to meet with you to ensure you can retain legal counsel. We also meet our clients at home or in the office, so don’t hesitate to reach out no matter where you are or what stage of recovery you are in.

Your initial consultation is free, so call our law office for legal assistance today. We can review your case and answer any questions you may have about filing a claim for your personal injury case.

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