The Importance of Documenting Your Damages

If you are in a car accident, it can be very important to document all of your personal injury damages. Here are a few tips that can help you maximize your recovery and speed up the process:

1. Order a copy of the police report. In most cases, this is the very first piece of evidence that is relevant to your claim. If done well, it will explain the who, what, when and where of your accident. It is a jumping-off point and should have information about the cars involved, the drivers, the insurance company, etc.
2. Document your pain, suffering & disruption. If you are injured and go to the hospital, you will have documents written by medical professionals that describe what they saw and how they treated you. But these documents are really just a snap shot in time. You should buy a small notebook where you can take daily notes. Take notes on how you feel, what you are unable to do because of your injuries, keep track of your receipts, time spent at medical appointments, time you missed at work, etc. A notebook like this can really fill in the blanks and help to flesh out your claim.
3. Save all of your receipts. If you spent money on a co-pay or some over the counter medicine, keep all of the receipts.
4. Take photos. Take photos of everything - you, your car, the receipts (in case you lose them), the scene of the accident, and anything else you think might be helpful. It is better to have too many photos rather than too few photos.
5. If you missed time at work, keep all of your paystubs. These will indicate how much time you missed, whether you had to use up paid vacation or sick time, and offer a quick way to calculate your lost wages.

In addition to documenting your damages, you should contact a personal injury attorney right away.

Pete Clancy is a personal injury attorney in Oakland.