Another reason to speak to an attorney as soon as possible is for the attorney handling the case to begin to investigate the incident and obtain evidence to prove your case. As the person bringing the case against the negligent party, you have the burden of proving that the other person did something wrong to cause your injuries.
If you cannot prove it, you may no have a case. The longer you wait to call an attorney the greater the opportunity for evidence to begin to disappear, whether it be a surveillance tape from a department store which taped your fall, or a dangerous parking lot area with a cracked surface, that caused you to trip and hurt yourself. Within a reasonable amount of time after signing up a client, the attorney should go out to the scene of the accident and obtain the appropriate pictures of the dangerous condition. The more time passes, the greater the opportunity for the negligent person or company to fix the danger.
For example, an investigation associated with an automobile accident involves several steps. To help prove your case, your attorney’s office should take photographs of your vehicle if the damage is significant, obtain a copy of the police report, contact the witness and request their written sworn statements as to what occurred in the collision and obtain the insurance information from the at fault driver. After the initial investigation, medical records should be requested to document your injuries.
After you have been finalized from the doctor, a settlement demand package will be sent to the at fault driver’s insurance company, and the settlement negotiations for your case should begin. As the settlement negotiations continue, you should be kept informed of any offers. Your attorney should advise you of how much money to accept from the insurance based upon all the facts of the loss, but ultimately it is your decision of whether to accept an offer or not. An attorney cannot accept any offers without the authority of the client.
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