Tips to speed up a personal injury claim

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The process of getting a personal injury claim over the line is usually a lengthy one.

Often times, the process can drag on for as long as six months, one year, or even two years.

Now, while it might be a smart play to let the process drag on for long in some cases – like when you want to wait for your medical condition to worsen so that you can improve your chances of getting a larger sum – it might be better to hasten the process in other cases; say, when you need money urgently for bills.

That said, if you ever wish to speed up your personal injury claims, here are a few steps you can take.

Hire the most experienced personal injury lawyer

The best thing you can do to hasten your personal injury case is to hire a professional, highly-skilled, and experienced attorney.

Emphasis on “the most experienced one.”

The reason we say this is because although all personal injury lawyers understand the personal injury law guiding the legitimacy of claims, different lawyers have a different level of experience handling different cases.

For example, while a lawyer may have a positive history of filing and winning lawsuits involving truck accidents, another may be experienced in the aspect of medical malpractice.

The best way to know whether the lawyer you want to hire has a good history of handling cases that are similar to yours is by checking their websites. There you’ll see a list of testimonials from previous clients. And with this, you can confirm whether they’ve actually won a case similar to yours before.

Aside from the part of the attorney, you, too, have a part to play. And this brings us to the next important steps to take.

Other items you need to speed up your personal injury claim

Get a police report

There is only a little a lawyer can do, experienced or not, if there are no evidence to back up your claim.

However, when you have an official documentation of the incident that caused your injury, there is a great chance you’ve won the case before it even starts.

The best way to get this sort of official documentation is by reporting the accident to the police immediately.

By narrating your ordeal to the police, they’ll conduct a proper investigation and will prepare a legal document to support your claims.

Take after-effect photos and videos

The general consensus in the personal injury claim world is that victims are supposed to snap the accident scene immediately after their accident.

Yes, this is pretty important.

But what’s even more important is a snapshot of the scene days or weeks after the incident.

By then, the scene will most likely have returned to normal, and your lawyer can easily show it to a judge or jury so that they can compare it with the pictures or videos of the scene from the accident day.

It will be easier for a judge or jury to understand the gravity of the damage done if they see a before-and-after view of the scene.

Gather all possible evidence

To better support your claim, you can provide your lawyer with additional information like a written explanation of your personal experience, reactions of eyewitnesses and by-standers, the severity of the injury, proof of losses, etc.

A written estimate of medical bills

The reason you want to speed up your personal injury claim is most likely because you need money urgently for your hospital bills.

In which case, it means you don’t have enough to lead your medical expenses.

However, there is going to be a bit of a challenge here.

Since you haven’t finished all medical procedures to regain your health, it may be hard to know the exact amount you’re going to spend on hospital bills.

Luckily for you, you can get a hint of the figure by researching the estimated amount with your attorney. Your attorney can obtain estimate bills through your healthcare provider’s records administrator. And with this estimate, they can pursue your claim for you.

Bring your health insurance proof to the table.

Depending on the nature of the accident, it may be possible to tether a hospital lien to your claim. If you have an existing health insurance policy, ask your attorney whether there is an opportunity to bring it into the equation.

In most cases, when you bring your health insurance information into the equation, it gives your attorney a head start on checking and starting the subrogation process.