Documenting Details of Your Injuries & Pain
Unfortunately, accidents occur all the time—whether you’ve been injured at work, had a slip-and-fall accident in a store, or been involved in a car crash. In 2021 alone, there were 15,764 serious injury crashes in Texas. From these, 19,448 people sustained a serious injury, according to data from the state’s Department of Transportation.
When these kinds of injuries occur, you may wish to file a claim against the responsible party to recover damages. These cases can be quite complex, which is why it helps to work with a personal injury attorney who can guide you in documenting your injuries and pain after an accident to ensure you’re adequately compensated.
At Jose Orihuela, Attorney at Law, I’m here to help you through this difficult time. Set up a consultation with me as soon as possible. From my office in Webster, I’m proud to serve individuals who live anywhere in Texas, including Houston, South Houston, Pasadena, Friendswood, League City, Alvin, Dickinson, and Clear Lake.
Why It’s Important to Document Injuries and Pain
In addition to contacting a car accident attorney immediately after your injury, you will also need to begin gathering evidence and documentation that will help prove your case. This includes police reports, witness testimony, photos and video, property damage bills, and medical records. One aspect of this that many people overlook is thoroughly documenting your pain and injuries. This is most easily done by keeping some sort of journal. This documentation, in addition to doctor’s diagnosis, comments, and recommendations, is key to presenting a complete picture of just how much damage the injuries caused. By writing details down every day (and right after the accident occurred), the details will be more accurate and will provide your legal team with more evidence to use in your defense. Requests for compensation for pain and suffering can sometimes be very hard to prove in court since it’s fairly subjective. However, if you’ve kept a regular log of your experiences, this will be much harder for insurance companies to deny.
Information You Should Include
Thorough evidence is crucial to a successful lawsuit and this involves keeping a journal related to your pain—but what should you include in injury documentation? In short, you want to include any ways that your injury is negatively affecting your life. This doesn’t need to be extremely detailed, but it should accurately reflect your experience. That said, you should never lie or exaggerate the truth. Your journal should include a detailed narrative of the accident itself that describes when and where it happened, who was involved, the time of day, what the environment was like, and even drawings or diagrams of the incident. You’ll also want to document your level of pain and how it changes. This could include details about time you’ve had to take off work, time you’ve missed spending with your family, and tasks you are no longer able to complete because of your injury.
Including Mental Trauma in Your Documentation
Documenting mental trauma after an accident is equally as important as documenting your physical pain. This could include your level of stress, anxiety, or confusion on any given day. Be sure to include details about how your mental state is negatively impacting your life. For instance, perhaps the trauma you are experiencing is preventing you from fully enjoying certain activities, such as spending time with your children.
Seek Trustworthy Advice
If you’re in the Houston, Texas area and have recently been injured in an accident, you need to call an attorney right away about pursuing compensation. When you work with me—Jose Orihuela, Attorney at Law—I will show a genuine interest in your story and an authentic commitment to defending your rights and representing your interests. Reach out today to set up a consultation.