St. Louis Car Accident Advice From a Personal Injury Lawyer

Take Notes After an Accident or Injury - And Call 314.448.0934

Writing down the details after an accident is more accurate than relying on your memory, even if you have an impeccable memory.

One of the first things that should be done at the scene of the accident is to write down everything you can about your accident, including details of your injuries and how they will effect your daily life. These notes, or a diary of sorts, can be very useful several months down the line, when your St. Louis personal injury lawyer submits a settlement demand package to the insurance company of the other driver.  A personal injury diary, reminding you of the details of what happened, and what you went through, is a reliable way to assist your personal injury lawyer in presenting your harms and losses to the car insurance company.

Get into the regular habit of taking notes on anything and everything that you think could possibly affect your claim and the ways you have experienced a loss. Whenever you remember something you had not thought of before, whether it happens while you're in the shower, when you wake up at night in pain, or as you drive home from the doctor's office, write it down with your other notes.  This needs to become a regular habit.

Here are some specific topics that need to be addressed in your notes:

1.  The Accident

As soon as your head is clear enough and you are ready, take down everything you can remember about how the accident happened, beginning with were you were coming from and going to, the passengers in your car, the line of sight before the collision, and weather.  Include the details of the collision itself, including whether you heard tires screeching or a horn just prior to impact, and anything the other driver said at the scene.  Also include the pains you immediately experienced at the accident scene, in specific detail.  Finally document what witnesses may have said at the crash scene.

2.  Your Injuries

In the first hours and days following your accident, make daily notes of all pains caused by your injuries.  You may suffer pain, numbness and tingling in arms or legs, emotion distress, loss of sleep, or other issues which may not appear visible or quite as serious as another injury but for which your car accident lawyer must demand additional compensation. If you don't make specific note of them immediately, you are only shortchanging yourself from what Missouri law allows recovery for in a car accident claim for compensation, and may not even be included by your lawyer in the settlement demand that is mailed out several months down the line.  Also, taking notes will provide for "story telling" in your settlement demand for compensation, which claims adjusters admit is a more effective means of obtaining maximum financial recovery for your claim.

In addition, writing down your different injuries may assist doctors in providing a more precise clinical diagnosis of your injuries.  For example, a relatively minor impact resulting in a jerk of the may not seem worth noting, but it likely will help the doctor and the insurance company understand why a the pain worsened over time and required additional medical care.  Telling the doctor or other medical provider about all of your injuries and will cause those complaints to become part of your medical records that will be sent by your injury lawyer in your settlement demand package down the line.

3.  Economic and Non-Economic Losses

If you are injured in a car accident in St. Louis, you may be entitled to compensation for "economic loss" and for family, social, educational, or other losses, as well as for pain and suffering, otherwise know as "non-economic loss."  But your car accident lawyer cannot obtain these forms of compensation for your injury claim without good documentation. Begin making notes immediately following the accident about anything you have lost as a direct result of the crash, including:

• hours off work
• hospital bills
• prescription drug costs
• miles driven to doctor's appointments
• subrogation claimed by your health insurance company (if ERISA health insurance policy)
• liens filed by medical providers
• disruption in the dynamic of the family relationship
• vacation or sick-time used at work in order to heal from the accident
• home treatment medical device costs (i.e. a "tens unit" for back injuries)

Take written notes of the date, time, place, persons involved, content, and context of each and every conversation you have about your accident or your claim with anyone.  This includes witnesses, the other driver, passengers, first responders, police officers, and insurance claims adjusters.  Keep in mind that things you say may be admissible in court if a civil lawsuit is filed for your personal injury claim. 

Call 314.448.0934 or 866.840.3636 to speak with a lawyer NOW