If you experience an injury, there are several actions you need to do. While you should first seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you don’t think the injury is too severe, you should also call a personal injury attorney and keep a journal to help you keep details organized. For more information on what to include in this journal, consider the brief guide below.
What Should You Include in a Personal Injury Journal?
1. Accident Details
One of the most important things to include in your personal injury journal will be details and facts about the accident itself. This can help your personal injury attorney better understand what happened, to help you with compensation if applicable. Write down information on all of the other parties or individuals involved, the location and time of the accident, and how it occurred. You should also include any witness information, pictures or videos you took, and the name and badge number of the officer who arrived on the scene.
2. Injury Details
You should also include as many details about your injury as possible. This should include the type of injury you experienced, the symptoms that presented following the injury and when they first started, and how the injury has progressed over time. You may also want to include details regarding the side effects of any treatment or medication that you had to take because of the injury.
3. Impact on Quality of Life
You should also write how the injury and subsequent treatments have affected your overall quality of life. If you’ve been unable to go to work since sustaining the injury or are no longer able to do all of the things you once were, it should be noted with detail. Keep track of money lost, pain management, and any ways that the injury has affected your life.
4. Medical Treatment
You also need to include any and all medical treatment that you undergo after an accident. This should include thorough details regarding the date of your doctor’s appointment, physical therapy that was done, medical procedures or surgery, or prescription medication. Although your doctor will likely need to provide an official medical record, having these details in your personal injury journal is recommended for future corroboration.
If you’ve recently been in an accident or sustained an injury, contact the personal injury attorneys at Fitzpatrick, Skempt & Butler LLC in Onalaska, WI. Their experienced team has been providing legal guidance, advice, and representation to individuals across La Crosse County since 1982. They also specialize in social security disability and workers’ compensation cases. In fact, they’re so confident in their ability to get results that you won’t be charged unless they win your case. To learn more about their services, visit them online or call (608) 784-4370 to schedule your free consultation today.