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Recovery in a Personal Injury Case

  • Your Recovery Can Be Your Monetary Losses, Pain, and Suffering : If you are injured in an auto accident, slip or fall at someone’s premises, or are bitten by a dog or other animal, you may be entitled to recover “special” and/or “general” damages.
    • Special damages include lost wages, medical expenses, hospital charges, loss of earning capacity, and other losses that cause you monetary expenses or losses. Such damages are recoverable damages which are reimbursable to you.
    • General damages are typically sought for pain, suffering, discomfort, anxiety, trauma, loss of enjoyment of life, and other non-monetary losses due to an injury. General damages are also recoverable damages.
  • What To Do In An Automobile Accident : If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident there are a number of things you should do.
    • If you are injured or might be injured, immediately call the police and report the accident.
    • Even if you do not immediately experience any pain, you may still be injured, since often people do not feel any pain from an injury due to the shock and rush of adrenaline one experiences immediately following an accident.
    • If you are lightheaded due to the accident, call the police.
    • To preserve the scene of the accident for a subsequent investigation, try not to move your vehicle until the police come to the scene. Take photos of your vehicle and any other vehicles involved in the accident.
    • Take photos of the scene of the accident with a camera or cell phone – or ask someone to take them for you if you are too injured to do this yourself. Take the photos of the streets or intersection where the accident occurred, including photos of any traffic signs or signals.
    • Take photos of any visible injuries, such as bruises, fractures, and other signs of injury.
    • Ask all other drivers for their: A) driver’s license. B) automobile registration, and C) automobile insurance information. Write down all of the information on each driver’s license, registration, and insurance documents. Write down the type and make and license number of any vehicles involved in the accident.
    • If you need an ambulance, tell the emergency personnel who have arrived at the scene of the accident that you need an ambulance. Even if you are not sure if you were injured, it is very important to talk to the emergency personnel so they can determine if you need an ambulance or at least note your discussion in the event you later find an injury resulting from the accident, so this can be included in your claim for damages.
    • If you were injured in the accident, it is very important to see a medical doctor as soon as possible after the accident. Consulting a medical doctor following the accident is important for two reasons: 1) It documents your injuries; and 2) It enables you to obtain a professional diagnosis of your injuries, so you can obtain a prognosis for your injuries and gain the needed treatment to help you recover from them.
    • Once you have seen your medical doctor, call Seifer, Murken to assist you through the recovery process.
  • What to Do In Other Types of Personal Injury Cases. If you are involved in a slip and fall, are bitten by a dog, or experience any other type of personal injury, here are the things you should do – many of them the same as you would do in an auto accident:
    • If you are injured, might be injured, or feel lightheaded, immediately call the police and report the incident, since there is the possibility of criminal fault, such as reckless endangerment.
    • Even if you do not immediately experience any pain, you may still be injured, since often people do not feel any pain from an injury due to the shock and rush of adrenaline one experiences immediately following an accident.
    • If you are lightheaded due to the incident, get medical attention.
    • As much as possible, preserve the scene of the incident for a subsequent investigation. For example, don’t move any furniture or objects you might have slipped on in a slip and fall case.
    • Take photos of the scene of the incident with a camera or cell phone – or ask someone to take them for you if you are too injured to do this yourself. For example, take a photo of the walkway, porch, or room where the slip and fall occurred; take a photo of the dog that bit you.
    • Take photos of any visible injuries, such as bruises, fractures, and other signs of injury.
    • Ask the owner of the property or animal involved in the incident for their home owner or other insurance information.
    • If you need an ambulance, tell the emergency personnel who have arrived at the scene of the incident that you need an ambulance. Even if you are not sure if you were injured, it is very important to talk to the emergency personnel so they can determine if you need an ambulance or at least note your discussion in the event you later find an injury resulting from the accident, so this can be included in your claim for damages.
    • If you were injured in the incident, it is very important to see a medical doctor as soon as possible after the incident. Consulting a medical doctor following the accident is important for two reasons: 1) It documents your injuries; and 2) It enables you to obtain a professional diagnosis of your injuries, so you can obtain a prognosis for your injuries and gain the needed treatment to help you recover from them.
    • Once you have seen your medical doctor, call Seifer, Murken to assist you through the recovery process.

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