Many of our clients are first-time personal injury clients. If you have never been involved in a personal injury claim, it is hard to understand the process of filing a personal injury claim. The first few weeks after your personal injury can be rather confusing. By the time the you’ve decided to consult with a personal injury attorney, you may already be well into the process.
What happens after a personal injury?
The first thing we tell potential personal injury clients is to stop talking to the insurance company. The next thing we tell them is to make sure they get the medical treatment they need to get better, if they aren’t doing so already. As a law firm, we do not intend to give medical advice, but we often tell our clients that if they are in pain, they should be seeing a doctor or hospital to get treatment.
Medical treatment during a personal injury claim can often take several weeks to months to conclude, depending on how severe the injury is. Usually, the treatment plan will include a hospital visit, visits to a primary care physician, and can also include treatment with an orthopedic doctor, physical therapist or chiropractor, among other medical providers.
Once the client is finished treating with all applicable medical providers, they are “released” from the doctor – meaning they will have no further treatment for the personal injury. At that point, the personal injury lawyers’ staff members will order medical records and charges for all of the treatment the client has undergone in connection with the personal injury. Medical records usually take a few months to obtain.
Once your personal injury lawyer has the medical records and charges, they can begin negotiations. Negotiations are the sole reason you should have a personal injury attorney if you have been seriously injured. Personal injury lawyers know what an injury is worth in monetary value. A person trying to litigate their personal injury on their own will usually get significantly less money than a personal injury victim who is represented by an attorney.
If you find yourself seriously injured by the fault of another, call one of our personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation at 314-862-7222.
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