A car collision can be a very scary situation. In addition to the often traumatic car crash, what comes after can also be traumatizing. On top of being in physical and emotional pain, there can be other stress. Like how to pay your hospital and doctor bills, how to recover lost wages from missed time at work, and what happens if your injuries don’t improve. To add even more to your already full plate, your car may not be safe to drive and you may not be able to get to your doctor appointments or to work. Insurance companies start calling you, they want to know more about your injuries but you don’t know what to tell them, they want you to sign medical authorizations so they can request all your medical records and medical history, they want your employment records, and a recorded statement from you. At this point you may feel overwhelmed which isn’t helping your other injuries heal. Then you find out your reliable car, which was paid off, has been deemed a total loss and the insurance company won’t pay you enough to find a similar replacement vehicle. Dealing with injuries and insurance companies is new to you and your list of questions is getting longer and longer.

The D’Angelo Law Office is here to help answer your questions and is dedicated to helping car accident victims. Our team is experienced, compassionate, and motivated to do what is best for our clients.  We know the importance of restoring your life to the way it was before you suffered physical and emotional injuries and other losses due to someone else’s carelessness. We do this by advocating for your rights, whether that is the other driver’s car insurance, your car insurance, or any other parties who may have a legal interest in your claim, so you may focus on getting better and back to normal.

We do not charge for you to speak with us about your personal injury claim. In fact, we want to help you prepare to discuss your unique case with the closest attention to detail possible and so you can avoid any delay in getting started on your claim. That’s why we’ve created a quick guide to help you prepare for your free consultation.

Before you come in for your consultation, here is a list of helpful things to gather and bring with you:

1. Identification – Let’s start with the basics, it may be seem simple but when you have so much on your mind it can be easy to forget. Bring your driver’s license, state issued ID, passport, or other valid form of photo identification.

2. Insurance – Bring your private health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid ID cards. These are important to know about from the beginning to avoid any delay as they will be part of your claim and your attorney will need to work with them to resolve any subjugation or rights of reimbursement they may have. Bringing your car insurance information is important so your attorney knows who your car insurance is with and the specific type of coverage available to you. Many new clients will tell me they have “full coverage,” but that is actually not a type of insurance coverage. There are many specific types of car insurance coverage including Medical Payments also known as Med Pay for short, uninsured or under-insured motorist coverage, and umbrella. Your declarations page will list all your available coverages and is different from the proof of insurance card you may carry in your vehicle or wallet. Your card generally only lists the named insured, the policy number, effective dates, and the insurance company. Even though we can request this information from your car insurance company the information we receive can sometimes be incorrect. Knowing the types of coverage you have from the beginning can be extremely helpful to the attorney assessing your claim. If you can’t find your declaration page, you can ask your agent or representative to send you a current copy. If you can’t get this information before your consultation, don’t worry, your proof of insurance card will at least give us a starting point and then we can contact your insurance company to request the declaration page.

3. Correspondence from Insurance – Copies of any correspondence you’ve received from the other driver’s insurance or your insurance will have helpful information about your claim and will allow us to quickly get started on your claim.

4. Collision Information – The more detailed information you have about the car accident the better. Details regarding citations issued and incident particulars help the attorneys understand the causes of the incident and clarify the parties responsible. It’s also helpful if you have contact and identifying information of all parties involved in the collision. Having information like license plate number, insurance information, and even a driver’s license number can be incredibly helpful. If you have any photographs of the damage to the vehicles and accident scene, bring those or send those ahead of time. Take photographs of any bruises or lacerations you may have suffered in the collision as soon as possible, and bring those as well. Bring the Accident Information Exchange Form you should have received at the scene of the collision from the investigating police officer and if you have a copy of the Police Accident Report, bring that too.

5. Witness information and statements – In addition to police reports and detailed collision or incident information, it’s a wise idea to collect witness statements along with contact information. Get names and phone numbers on any statements you gather and bring it all with you to your consultation.

6. Medical information – To get the best possible understanding of your case, we need to know who, where, and when you treated for your injuries. If you have copies of any medical records, such as discharge instructions, or medical bills, those can be very helpful. Sometimes treatment at one facility may lead to several bills from different companies for that one treatment date and getting those records can be hard since the company handling your bills is most often different than where you actually saw your doctor.

Remember, this list is just a guideline! We understand that this is likely an extremely stressful time for you, and we want the process to be as easy as possible. The more information you have or can get access to the better, but bringing everything on this list certainly isn’t a requirement. We’ve got a great team prepared to gather any additional information that we need so that you don’t have to worry about getting all this information on your own. It can be an overwhelming process and we are here to handle it for you. We take each consultation seriously, and your consultation will be with a personal injury attorney experienced in assessing and explaining your legal rights and the insurance claims process.

Being seriously injured in a collision because of another’s carelessness is frustrating, frightening, and even aggravating. Working with an experienced personal injury attorney and knowing what to do if you’re the victim of circumstances like this can go a long way towards alleviating your stress.