Being injured in an accident can turn your life upside down overnight. Without warning, you suddenly have to deal with intense pain, hospital and specialist visits, time off work, and perhaps even a long-lasting disability. In addition to all of this, dealing with accident-related injuries is expensive. This is why accident victims in Louisiana have the right to file a claim for compensation for their losses.
If you want to have a successful claim, it is important that you keep track of medical paperwork that is related to your injury. However, this can be a difficult thing to do unless you know specifically which documents you will need. It is likely that you will have numerous records from a multitude of sources, so having a good idea of what you should look out for will help you and your attorney throughout your case.
Why Are Medical Records So Important in a Personal Injury Claim?
If a negligent party has caused you harm in an accident, their insurance provider will need to see evidence of the harm that you have suffered, how it was caused, and what kind of negative impact it has made on your life. This is precisely the type of information detailed medical records can provide, as they will demonstrate the nature and extent of your injuries as well as the treatments you have received in order to address them. Furthermore, your medical bills will demonstrate the financial cost of your injuries. If you do not have official documents that paint the fullest possible picture of your injuries, it is unlikely that you will receive the full and fair compensation you deserve.
It is also worth noting that these medical records may be useful at some point down the road. The medical professionals you work with may need to refer to these documents at a later date so that they will know how best to help you heal in the long term.
Which Medical Records Do I Need?
It is common for injury victims to end up with hundreds of pages of medical records associated with their injury, detailing every aspect of each assessment, diagnosis, and treatment. It is important to maintain all this information in as organized a fashion as you can, but there are some documents that you and your legal team will find particularly crucial. These include:
- Diagnostic records of your accident-related injuries
- Emergency medical service records, including those from the emergency room, ambulance, and paramedics
- Visual depictions of your injuries such as MRI and X-rays
- Lab results and test results
- Medical letters and reports from your doctor and other specialists
- Records from your entire term of any physical therapy you have received
- Health insurance coverage summaries
- All bills, invoices, and receipts associated with the above documents
Ideally, your doctor’s office and your insurance representatives will be proactive about getting these records to you. If this is not happening as quickly as you would prefer, feel free to ask for any items you need. It is usually more effective to request these items from administrative staff at the office rather than the physicians themselves.
Collecting this information is only half the battle. It is also important to maintain these records in an organized way and in a place that is both secure and easily accessible to you. A secure drawer or a lockbox can help you ensure that you are protecting the sensitive information that these documents contain. You may also choose to store these files digitally on your computer or in the cloud. Just be sure to keep all digital files password protected.
Contact an Experienced Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyer Today
It may feel overwhelming to think about gathering, organizing, and maintaining all the records you need for your claim. You may still have enough on your plate as you’re recovering from your injury. The skilled and knowledgeable Lake Charles personal injury lawyers of Veron Bice, LLC are here to help make the process smoother for you. We will help obtain and organize everything you need for your claim so that you can continue to focus on your recovery.
Our attorneys will put our decades of experience to work for you so that we can make your claim as strong as possible. We will do everything we can to recover the amount of compensation that would cover your current and future losses. Call us at 337-310-1600 or contact us online for a free consultation.
