If you’ve been in an auto accident, you are likely facing mounting medical bills while also missing out on work and trying to deal with fixing a car and other issues. It’s important that you have a strong case when you bring an auto accident claim so you can get all the compensation you are entitled to for your losses and damages. A Gillette, Wyoming automobile accident lawyer should be your first call.
How Can You Help Your Gillette, Wyoming Automobile Accident Lawyer Prepare a Strong Case?
Call As Soon As Possible
The first way you can help your lawyer is by contacting them as soon as possible after the accident. The earlier your lawyer can get started, the faster and easier it’s going to be to build a strong case. All the evidence will be fresh, and there will be plenty of time to investigate without any worry about the statute of limitations running out. As soon as you’re able to physically, contact an experienced attorney with experience in the local courts.
Gather As Much Evidence As You Can
Assuming you are not too badly injured at the scene of your accident, the more evidence you can gather, the better. If you’re able to take pictures, be sure to take photographs of your injuries, of all damage to the vehicles, of any road conditions that contributed to the accident, and of the weather conditions if possible. Be sure to get both close-ups and wide-angle shots and include any marks that were made on the pavement, as well as shots that show clearly the make and model of the cars and their license plates.
If you notice any traffic cameras, dash cams, or security camera cameras in the area, be sure to note that down so you can tell your lawyer. Your lawyer may be able to subpoena video footage that you would not be able to get a hold of. If the police are called (and they should be), get a copy of the police report and the names and contact information of any witnesses who saw what happened. Witness testimony can be very valuable in these cases, and the sooner your attorney can get a statement from a witness, the better.
You’ll also want to gather any evidence you have regarding lost wages from your job and any property damage that you incurred during the accident. This includes your car, of course, but also think about whether anything valuable in the car was damaged, such as a mobile phone. Your attorney will also ask you about other expenses, so think through whether you have spent anything that you would not normally have spent, just because of your injury. This might be childcare because you have to go to medical appointments or possibly taxi rides to those medical appointments if you’re unable to drive.
Be Careful of What You Say
One of the issues you have to worry about in any Wyoming personal injury case is the state’s modified comparative fault rule. This rule allows anyone who is less than 50% responsible for an accident to claim damages, but the final amount of their claim will be reduced by the same percentage as their fault. This means if you are found to be 30% at fault for the accident, you would only get 70% of your total damages and losses covered.
For this reason, it’s very important that you say nothing that could be interpreted as accepting fault. You will help your lawyer a great deal by being very cautious about what you say both at the scene of the accident and when talking to any insurance adjusters. Call the insurance company and tell them what happened, but nothing more than the most basic facts. If they call you and want to ask questions, refer them to your attorney. Insurance adjusters are quite skilled at finding ways to get you to say things that they can then use against you to either minimize your claim in someway or saddle you with extra liability.
Get Medical Help Quickly
If you are in a car accident, bear in mind that one of the things your attorney is going to have to prove on your behalf is that your injuries were specifically caused by that accident. The longer you wait to get medical help, the more you open the door to an accusation by the other side that your injuries had nothing to do with the accident or were not as bad as you claim.
Even if you feel fine, it’s important to get medical help as soon as you leave the scene of a car accident. Tell your doctor that you have been in an accident so that he or she knows what to look for. Remember that there are a number of conditions that don’t really manifest with many symptoms until a few hours after injury, such as whiplash or internal bleeding. Furthermore, you would be amazed at how good the human body’s adrenaline system is at masking pain for a while after an injury.
Follow Through On All Medical Orders
It’s also important that you follow through on all orders from your doctor. If your doctor tells you not to engage in a certain activity for a time, follow that order to the letter. If the insurance company can find any evidence that you have ignored doctor’s orders, they will then argue that you made your own condition worse, and they should not have to pay for that. Your lawyer will be able to build a very strong case for you when it can be shown that you got medical help and followed all of it carefully.
Be Proactive and Honest In Communication
Remember that your attorney is on your side. Your lawyer will not disclose anything that you tell them in confidence without your permission, and it’s always wise to be 100% honest with your attorney at all times. It’s also a good idea to be proactive about your communication. If you receive a letter from the insurance company or from the other driver, if there’s a major change in your medical condition, or if you receive any kind of paperwork from the court, be sure to communicate this to your attorney as quickly as possible so that they can incorporate it into your case.
Stay Off Social Media
Finally, you will help your attorney a great deal with your case if you stay off social media until it’s over. If you can’t stay off social media completely, at the least be very sure not to say anything whatsoever about the accident, your case, your injuries, or your recovery. The insurance company will likely be watching your social media profiles looking for something they can use against you. You may think you’re just encouraging your followers by saying that you “feel fine.” The insurance company could take this and try to argue that your injuries are not as severe as you claim. If you’re not sure, always talk to your attorney about whether something is safe to discuss publicly.
If you’ve been in a car accident, contact us today at the Ochs Law Firm for help in Gillette, Jackson, and throughout Wyoming.
