Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyers

Reporting the Accident and Injuries

If you have sustained personal injuries in an accident that was not your fault, the first thing you should do is report the accident, as well as your injuries, to the appropriate person. In the context of motor vehicle accidents, for example, you should immediately call 911 and obtain emergency medical treatment at a local emergency room or hospital facility. The same is true if you are involved in a boating accident.

Similarly, if you sustain injuries in a slip and fall accident, you should report your injury to the premises owner or manager as soon as possible. You should also make sure that the manager completes an incident report documenting how the accident occurred and the injuries you sustained.

When it comes to asserting a Louisiana personal injury claim, accurate and complete documentation is key. The team of Louisiana personal injury attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Lawyers can obtain all of the necessary documentation to help you achieve success in your case.

Seeking Initial Medical Treatment

As soon as possible after sustaining your injuries, you should seek to follow up medical care and treatment. You should obtain this treatment at a local urgent care facility or emergency room. Immediate follow-up medical care is important even if you are not sure that you sustained serious injuries in your accident. This is because some injuries—especially soft tissue injuries—do not manifest themselves until a day or two after the accident.

The risk you take if you do not seek follow-up medical care after your accident, is that the insurance company may well try and claim that you were not seriously injured or that your injuries were not caused by the accident because you did not make treatment a priority post-accident.

While you are in the emergency room, you should be descriptive about all of your pain and injuries so that there is no question later on. You should also ask the doctor or nurse on duty to examine you. If the emergency room doctor prescribes medication for you, such as painkillers or muscle relaxers, you should fill those prescriptions as soon as you are able.

Completing Your Medical Treatment

Federal, state, and local government agencies exist to keep us safe and maintain our roads and cities across The Lone Star State. When these agencies don’t do their jobs, people can get hurt. These accidents can involve poorly-maintained roads or public spaces, improper signage, hazardous construction zones, and more. Like any other company, government entities should be liable for your losses when they cause your injuries.

Filing a Claim and Recorded Statements

Once you file a claim for personal injuries, the insurance company’s adjuster may reach out to you in an attempt to obtain a recorded statement. Typically, an adjuster will not request a recorded statement unless he or she feels that some circumstance in your case is questionable. Be aware that nothing about a recorded statement is meant to help you or the value of your personal injury case. Rather, the ultimate purpose of a recorded statement is to try and give the adjuster the ammunition they need to deny fault in your personal injury case.

Contrary to what an opposing insurance company’s adjuster may tell you, you are not required to provide a recorded statement in a personal injury case. If an adjuster asks you to provide a recorded statement, you should respectfully decline. You should never agree to a recorded statement outside the presence of legal counsel.