Florida law gives you the right to pursue a personal injury claim if someone hurts you. However, if you want to win your case and maximize your compensation, you are going to need to clearly prove the extent of your injuries.
Diaco Law can help. If you give our Tampa personal injury lawyers a call, we can work with you from day one to preserve evidence, gather the necessary information, and make a strong claim. You can also check out this guide to documenting injuries for a personal injury claim so you can get the justice you deserve.
Get Prompt Medical Help
When you want to pursue a claim against a defendant for an incident or accident that caused you harm, you must be able to prove your injuries were directly caused by that incident. As a result, it’s important to get prompt medical help immediately in the aftermath. If you wait days or weeks, the defendant can argue your injuries were caused by something else.
Be sure to go to the doctor or hospital right away after something has gone wrong, such as a vehicle accident. Report all of your symptoms and make sure they are recorded in your doctor’s report and your medical file.
Collect Evidence From the Accident Scene
Evidence from the accident scene can show both that the defendant was to blame for harming you and the severity of the incident. So be sure to collect evidence like photos from the scene and witness testimony. If the police are called, which they usually should be, you can get a police report as well.
Keep Detailed Medical Records
You are entitled to compensation for medical bills, so make sure that you keep detailed records of all of the treatment you receive and all of the bills that you must pay after a catastrophic injury.
Keeping records of your treatment can both help you to show how much compensation you should receive for medical costs and can further demonstrate the severity of your injuries and the extent of your damage.
Track Your Pain Levels
You are entitled to compensation for pain and suffering when someone harms you. To make sure you recover the full amount of compensation, it’s important to track the amount of pain you actually experience as a result of your injuries.
You can keep a pain diary that shows how your injuries are affecting you over time, the symptoms you are experiencing, the level of pain that you are enduring, and the ways in which your injuries affect your ability to live your daily life and your quality of life.
Record Lost Wages
The defendants who harmed you are also required to compensate you for lost wages. This includes any vacation days, sick days, or other work time missed if you use workplace benefits. You should detail exactly how much work you miss and how much money you lose out on.
If you cannot work on an ongoing basis because of your injuries, you will also be entitled to future lost wages, so make sure you are recording symptoms that could prevent you from doing your job.
Contact a Florida Personal Injury Lawyer Today
These are just some of the many steps you should take to document your injuries for a Florida personal injury claim. Diaco Law can help you to take these and other steps necessary to strengthen your case and fight for the full and fair compensation that you deserve.