It’s wise to schedule a consultation with a car accident lawyer if you have recently suffered some injuries in a car accident. You may be entitled to receive a settlement to help you pay your medical bills. You might use the funds to also pay your rent and other bills. The key is to be prepared when you have your consultation. The following are five things you will need to bring with you when you have your discussion with the attorney:
Identification
You should bring your identification with you when you have your consultation with the attorney. Bringing your driver’s license and social security card will ensure that your attorney has the right information and can immediately begin any investigations that may be necessary for the case. In a car accident, the attorney might need to grab hold of your driving records or some other information about you. Supplying your ID will allow that process to proceed faster.
Doctor’s Reports
You will need to bring your doctor’s reports with you when you visit the attorney. The doctor’s reports will give the attorney a clear description of the pain you endured and the injuries you sustained. They will also allow the Oakland car accident lawyer to assess the monetary losses you experienced. This evidence will be important because it will help the attorney to devise a settlement request. Your attorney will ask the offending party to pay a settlement at some point during the process, and it will include all the medical bills you had to pay.
Police Report
The police report is a key piece of evidence that you should also have with you when you have your consultation. The police report will tell the details of your accident from the authority’s viewpoint. This document can help the attorney to establish fault. You might be eligible for an out-of-court settlement if the attorney can establish fault with the other party early enough. An out-of-court settlement can save everyone time and money in this case. Therefore, it will be in your best interest to bring the police report document with you. You can pick up a copy at the precinct that reported your accident.
Witness Statements
Witness statements and witness commitments are additional tidbits of information you should bring with you. Witnesses can help to establish fault in the case. You should have talked to any persons who were around when the incident happened. Ideally, those people would have agreed to testify on your behalf. If not, then perhaps you got them to write some statements regarding the accident. Your lawyer can use all of that information to draw a conclusion about whether your case is valid. He or she will offer to represent you if it looks like your case is an almost definite win.
A Down Payment
You should also bring some money with you just in case the attorney asks you for a retainer. However, you may not need to do so in the case of a car accident with a personal injury. The attorney may agree to allow you to pay him or her on a contingency basis. That means that payment will be contingent upon your attorney winning the case. If he or she wins the case, then you will agree to allow the attorney to take the fees out of your settlement. That should alleviate all the stress involved in an upcoming legal battle.
Schedule Your Consultation Today
Now you know what you need to take with you when you visit the attorney. You can feel confident scheduling your appointment to discuss the events surrounding your accident.
