Following an accident, you probably have a lot on your mind. You are likely coping with the physical pain and discomfort from your injuries. In addition, you may be worried about missing work, paying your medical bills or getting your car fixed. You have made the wise decision to call an attorney for advice and set up an initial meeting. This may be the first time you are meeting with a lawyer and you might not know what to expect. When you made your appointment, you were given directions to the office and told where to park, but may not received any other information. The first time a lawyer meets his client, he probably only knows a few details about the accident, like, for example, that the client’s car was struck from behind and that the client suffered a shoulder injury. In order to make the first meeting productive, you should bring as many documents and as much information about the accident as possible.
If the police came to the scene of your car accident, there will likely be a report. However, the report might not be available before your first meeting. If you do not have the full report, you may have an accident information summary. Often the investigating police officer will give such a summary to the people involved in the accident before they leave the scene. Even the summary will provide your lawyer with important information that will help him begin work on your case. There will likely be a report number which your lawyer will use to request the full report. The summary will also include the other driver’s name and insurance information. If you have already obtained the full report before your meeting, this will provide your lawyer with a wealth of information about the accident. In addition to the names of the drivers, the police report will also contain the names of the vehicle owners. This is important if the other person was driving a car he did not own. In some situations, the owner of the vehicle may also be liable for your injuries. The police report may also include a diagram of the accident, which is often helpful in understanding how the accident occurred. The police report may also provide details that you do not remember, such as the road conditions and the exact time of or location of the accident.
In this era of smartphones, almost everyone has a high-resolution camera in her pocket at all times. Photographs can be vitally important to your case. Photos of the damage to the vehicles can provide important information about the collision. Photos of your body showing the location and extent of injuries (bruising, swelling, lacerations) help document the damages you sustained as a result of the accident.
Your car insurance company provides you with a summary of your coverage at the time your policy is issued or renewed. If you have misplaced the one you received in the mail, it is often available online. Your policy almost certainly includes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. As the name suggests, this coverage protects you if the accident was caused by someone whose vehicle was not insured or did not have enough insurance to fully compensate you for your injuries. This summary, commonly known as the “Dec Page,” will tell your lawyer how much uninsured/underinsured coverage you have. It also includes the name and address of your insurer, which your lawyer will need in order to provide notice of the potential claim (this is almost always a requirement which must be met in order to trigger this coverage). Your car insurance may also include medical payments coverage, which would pay for medical expenses for injuries caused by the accident. The “Dec Page” will indicate if your policy includes such coverage and, if so, the amount of that coverage. This will be helpful information for your lawyer, especially if you have questions about how your accident-related medical treatment will be paid for.
If you had health insurance at the time of the accident, bring your policy information to your meeting. Again, this will be helpful if you have questions about how your accident-related medical treatment will be paid for. Many times, an ambulance company, a hospital and/or a separate emergency room physician will not have your health insurance information at the time you receive treatment. This can lead to unpaid bills and collection attempts. If your lawyer has this information, he can convey it to the healthcare provider, so that your bills are processed by your health insurance company.
If anyone saw your accident, they may be able to confirm your account of the events. In addition, a witness may remember facts that you do not, or may have seen things that you did not, because of a different vantage point. Bring the names and contact information of any witnesses with you to your first meeting. Your lawyer will likely want to contact the witnesses or have an investigator contact them.
