Documenting Your Losses After a Serious Accident in Ohio

If you’ve been injured in a serious accident, documenting your losses will be an important part of the recovery process. In this scenario, it is up to you to prove your legal rights—and this includes proving the losses you are entitled to recover. An experienced Columbus personal injury lawyer can help you, and to maximize your chances of recovering just compensation, we strongly recommend contacting a lawyer as soon as possible.

Why It’s Important to Document Your Losses After a Serious Accident

When you are dealing with serious injuries from an accident that was someone else’s fault, seeking just compensation involves filing a personal injury claim. To file a successful personal injury claim, you need two key types of evidence: (i) evidence of fault; and (ii) evidence of your losses (or your “damages”).

Evidence of fault is essential for holding the at-fault party accountable. Before you can file a personal injury claim, you need to know who (or what company) is legally responsible for the accident. Once you file your claim, this is when you will need evidence of your losses. This is because:

• You Need to Be Able to Prove Your Losses Resulted from the Accident – Simply proving that you were involved in an accident isn’t enough to recover just compensation. You also need to prove that your losses resulted from the accident (and not from something else).
• You Need to Be Able to Prove How Much You Deserve to Recover – But proving that your losses resulted from the accident isn’t enough, either. When you have a personal injury claim, it is also up to you to prove how much you deserve to recover.
• The Insurance Companies Will Be Trying to Pay You as Little as Possible – In personal injury cases, the insurance companies put their interest first. They will be trying to pay you as little as possible, and it is up to you (or your lawyer) to make sure this doesn’t happen.

5 Types of Documents to Collect After a Serious Accident

With all of this in mind, if you need to file a personal injury claim after a serious accident in Ohio, you should try to make sure you have as much documentation as possible. While your Columbus personal injury lawyer will be able to help with gathering the documents you need, you should try to keep documents such as:

1. Medical Records

Your medical records will be important for your personal injury claim for several reasons. Not only will they help with documenting the timing of your injuries (which will help with proving that you suffered them in the accident), but they will also help with documenting your immediate and long-term costs.

For example, in a typical case, our lawyers will be able to use our client’s medical records to help prove:

• Our client’s long-term medical treatment costs
• How long our client is likely to be unable to work
• Any permanent scarring or disfigurement resulting from the accident\
• The severity of our client’s pain and suffering
• Our client’s other long-term physical limitations and psychological effects

All of these are important for calculating just compensation in a personal injury case. The long-term costs of a serious accident can be substantial, so proving these costs—both financial and non-financial—is critical for seeking the full compensation you deserve.

2. Medical Bills

Of course, along with your future medical costs, you are also entitled to just compensation for the medical costs you have already incurred. With this in mind, your medical bills will be important evidence in your personal injury case as well. Whether you pay out-of-pocket, your insurance company pays, or you don’t have a way to pay, you should keep copies of all of your medical bills to give to your Columbus personal injury lawyer.

3. Insurance Documents

You should keep copies of any insurance documents you receive to give to your Columbus personal injury lawyer as well. This includes copies of documents you receive from your health insurance company, as well as documents you receive from any insurance companies involved in your accident claim. Explanations of coverage, statements of benefits, denial letters, and any other documents you receive will all be important, and your lawyer will be able to explain what they all mean if you have questions.

4. Employment Records

Individuals who suffer traumatic injuries in serious accidents are often forced to miss significant amounts of time from work. If you are unable to work due to your injuries for any length of time, you should keep copies of your employment records to prove it. If you receive paper checks and paystubs, keep them in a file. If you have access to your pay and benefits information online, you should print copies or save screenshots to share with your lawyer.

5. Receipts

Along with your medical expenses and lost earnings, you are also entitled to just compensation for any other costs you incur as a result of your injuries. With this in mind, you should get into the habit of keeping your receipts. If you pay with a card, your account statements could also serve as documentation of your purchases, but your receipts may include additional important details.

Some examples of out-of-pocket costs you may be entitled to recover in your personal injury case include:

• Prescription medications
• Medical supplies
• Medical equipment (i.e., crutches or a wheelchair)
• Transportation services
• Home or vehicle modifications

These truly are just examples. If you incur any costs that you would not have incurred but for the accident, be sure to keep the receipts. It can be helpful to keep a running list of your out-of-pocket costs as well. You can either do this on your phone or in a notebook where you keep the other notes we discuss below.

5 Steps You Should Take to Document Your Losses

In addition to keeping various forms of documentation, it will be helpful for you to create documentation that your lawyer can use when calculating the value of your personal injury claim as well. With this in mind, here are five steps you should take to document your accident-related losses:

1. Keep a Log of Your Medical Appointments and Days You Miss from Work

You should keep a log of your medical appointments and the days you miss from work. This will help not only ensure that you have all the formal documentation you need for your claim, but also demonstrate how the accident has impacted your day-to-day life.

2. Take Photos or Videos of Your Injuries and Their Effects

You should also take photos or videos of your injuries and their effects. Alternatively, you can ask a friend or family member to take photos or videos for you. If you can document your wounds, your bandages, your time spent in the hospital, your difficulties with standing up or walking, and any other effects of your trauma, this documentation could be valuable evidence in support of your claim for damages.

3. Write Down Your Pain Levels Throughout the Day

When you have a personal injury claim, it can also be helpful to write down your pain levels throughout the day. You can either take notes about the day before you go to bed, or take notes at various points throughout the day (e.g., when you wake up, after lunch, and after dinner). If you have a personal injury claim in Ohio, you are entitled to just compensation for your pain and suffering. But, again, it is up to you to prove how the accident has impacted (and is continuing to impact) your life.

4. Keep Track of Activities and Events You Are Forced to Miss

You should also keep a log of any activities and events you are forced to miss. This includes everything from social events with friends and coworkers to your children’s games and recitals. Whether due to pain, physical limitations, anxiety, or depression, these are also non-financial losses for which financial compensation is available under Ohio law.

5. Write Down All the Other Ways Your Injuries Impact Your Life

Finally, take time each day to write down any other ways your injuries affect your life. From being unable to enjoy your hobbies to being unable to spend intimate time with your spouse, these are all recoverable non-financial losses as well. If you have a record of these losses, this will help ensure that your Columbus personal injury lawyer is able to seek the full compensation you deserve.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Columbus Personal Injury Lawyer Today

Do you need to know more about seeking just compensation for a serious accident in Ohio? If so, we encourage you to contact us for more information. To schedule a free consultation with an experienced Columbus personal injury lawyer at Malek & Malek Law Firm, give us a call at 888-444-7440 or tell us how we can reach you online today.