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March 1, 2025
- Blog
- By Cesar Ornelas
If you’ve been injured by someone else’s negligence, you may be considering a personal injury claim. A personal injury attorney in Carlsbad will help you get the maximum compensation and protect your interests under the law. Once you choose a lawyer, you’ll meet them in person for an initial consultation. Here’s what to bring along and have in mind as you take part in that first meeting.
What Should You Bring to Your First Consultation With a Personal Injury Attorney in Carlsbad?
Official Reports
The first thing to gather up is a copy of all official reports relative to the accident. You will, of course, tell your lawyer what happened, but the official reports will help them get a perspective on what the liable party’s insurance provider will be thinking as they evaluate your claim. If you were injured in a car accident, you would want to bring the police report. If you were injured on the premises of a store, you might not have a police report, but you should have an official report made with the store itself and should bring that along.
All Your Medical Records Related to the Incident
Bring along all medical records and any bills or receipts. You will want to have copies of the diagnosis that was made at the time you were treated and any documents explaining what treatment was given and what treatment is being recommended into the future. If you have prescriptions for medications, bring those as well. Bring along a list of medical providers who have seen you, with names, addresses, and phone numbers of the medical center or hospital where you were treated.
In most cases, you will only bring medical records related to the actual accident incident. However, if you had a pre-existing condition which the accident significantly worsened, you may need to bring documentation explaining about your condition, so your lawyer can think through what’s happened to you and work out a strategy for dealing with the insurance company.
The insurance company is not allowed to deny you treatment just because you have a pre-existing condition. In other words, the liable party cannot say that because your pre-existing condition made you more vulnerable than another person would have been that they therefore don’t have to pay for all your injuries. The law requires that they take you “as they find you” in terms of liability. However, the insurance company is very likely to at least suggest that anything you’re suffering that can be related to a pre-existing condition was not actually caused by the accident but is the natural progression of your condition. Your lawyer will help you to counter these claims and will need medical records to do so.
All Information About Work You’ve Missed
To properly value your claim, your lawyer will need to understand all the income that you’ve lost. Bring along pay stubs or anything else that shows what your regular income is. If you have lost other work benefits, such as accrued vacation days or bonuses, bring along documentation related to this, as well.
Receipts for All Accident-Related Expenses
Your lawyer will help you to think through what all of these expenses might be to make sure you don’t miss anything, but bring whatever you can think of to the initial meeting. For example, if your car was damaged and you had to take an Uber everywhere for several weeks, bring evidence of this. If you were so badly injured that you could not pick your kids up from school and take care of them like you normally would, bring receipts and information for whatever childcare you’ve had to hire.
Any Evidence You Collected
If you were able to gather evidence at the scene of the accident, such as photographs, bring these along. If you noticed any video cameras in the area that may have captured the incident, note this down and be sure to tell your lawyer about it. You’ll also want to give your lawyer the name and contact information of any witnesses who can testify to what happened.
If you have suffered a lot emotionally because of the accident, you might also bring evidence related to this. In addition to any bills or records of therapy or counseling that you’ve had (which you should bring along with your medical records), you might also bring the contact information of friends or family members who can testify to how your outlook on life has changed since the accident. If you keep a journal, this can be very helpful if you’ve been recording how the accident affects your life from day to day.
All Insurance Information
You’ll want to bring all your own health insurance, and (if you were in a car accident), car insurance papers for your lawyer to look over. If you’ve already reported the accident to the liable party’s insurance company, and if you’ve gotten any communication from them, be sure to include that, as well.
Questions You Want to Ask
You should also come prepared to ask some important questions, like:
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What is your fee structure?
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How much do you think my claim might be worth?
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Do you think this will be settled out of court?
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How much experience do you have with claims like mine?
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How will you communicate with me, and how often can I expect an update?
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If I get information from the insurance company, how do I send it to you?
There may certainly be more questions you’ll want to ask; write these down in advance so you don’t forget anything in the moment.
Information for Answering Questions
Your lawyer is going to ask you some questions to fully evaluate the strength of your case and get a handle on what strategy they should take to get you the best possible outcome. Rest assured that these questions are not designed to make you suffer by reliving the incident or just to pry into your life. Your lawyer’s only goal here is to thoroughly understand what’s happened to you so that they can argue passionately on your behalf. Your lawyer will likely ask you specifics about your injuries, how you’re feeling, and what the doctors have told you about your prognosis.
They will also ask if you’ve talked to any insurance representatives yet and what you told them. They’ll ask you detailed questions about your employment and how long you’ve been employed, if you’ve been in accidents before, and what type of insurance coverage you have. Your lawyer may also ask you if any liens have been put on your claim. You may be asked to sign a medical release that allows your attorney to access your medical records as necessary to build your case.
An accident is always a traumatic experience, and if you have to deal with all the aspects of your claim, it can be completely overwhelming. A personal injury lawyer protects you from all of this and does all the legal work so that you can take care of yourself, focus on recovery, and enjoy your family. Whatever the circumstances of your injury, reach out to us at Cesar Ornelas Law in San Antonio, Midland, Odessa, El Paso, or in Hobbs, NM, the Permian Basin, or Corona, CA.
