There are so many details after a car accident that it's hard to keep track of them all. But if you require legal representation, your personal injury attorney needs to know everything that happened to best represent your case.
What sort of things will your attorney want to know? What documents should you have? How should you prepare for the first meeting? The personal injury lawyers at Skeeters, Bennett, Wilson & Humphrey have developed the following checklist to help you work together to determine how to proceed.
Car Accident Checklist for Your Attorney Meeting
There are numerous things to think about, so it might be helpful to write down answers to these points ahead of time for your consultation.
Offer your basic information
- Your age and birthdate
- Your address and telephone number
- Your Social Security number
- Your marital status
- Your children, if any
- Your present employment, if any
- Your wages or salary
- Have you missed time from work as a result of the accident
- Do you have a valid driver’s license
- Do you have automobile insurance and the name of the insurer
- Have you previously been involved in any car accidents
- Have you ever been convicted of a crime
Explain the details of the accident
- What day did the accident occur
- What time of day did the accident occur
- What was the exact location of the accident
- What was the weather like
- What was the roadway like (wet, dry smooth, pot-holed, etc…)
- Were other cars or people involved
- How did the accident occur
- Were police called to the scene
- Was a police report filed
- What traffic violations, if any, were you charged with
- Was an ambulance called to the scene
- Were any photographs taken at the scene
- Were any television or other media crews at the scene
Outline your injuries
- Did emergency personnel treat you?
- Were you taken to a hospital?
- What was your immediate diagnosis?
- What treatments were you initially provided?
- Did you have x-rays or other scans taken?
- Were you hospitalized? For how long?
- What follow-up or additional treatment have you had?
- What are your present symptoms?
- What is your present diagnosis?
- What normal activities are you unable to do because of your injuries?
- What are the names and locations of all hospitals, clinics, doctors, specialists, chiropractors, physical therapists or other providers you have seen for your injuries, including the names of providers who have referred you to other providers?
- Who is your general or family physician?
- Have you ever had similar injuries in the past?
Share details about witnesses and other individuals involved in the accident
- Names of witnesses or other involved parties
- What is their relation to you (if any)
- Addresses and telephone numbers
- License plate numbers
State information about your car
- Make, model, and year of the car
- Is there a lien-holder or bank interest in the car
- How long have you owned the car
- What is the working condition of the car
- When was your car last serviced or seen by a mechanic
- What damages were sustained to your car during the accident
- Have you received an estimate for the damages
- Did your car have any damages, dings, or dents prior to the accident
- Do you have photographs of your car both before, and after, the accident
As you can see, the more information you can provide the members of your legal team, the easier it is for them to start on your case right away.