Personal injury claims are claims that are filed when one person is injured (physically or emotionally) due to the carelessness, negligence, or intentional misconduct of another individual. While personal injury cases are most often seen in the form of car wrecks, they can really happen in a variety of situations, including construction accidents, dog bites, malpractice, nursing home abuse, slips, falls, and wrongful death. If you think you have been injured by another person, and would like to file a personal injury case against them, you’re going to have to prove that your injuries are a direct result of their actions (or inaction, as the case may be). To do that, you’re going to need items to help prove your case. Of course, with the variety of cases that fall under the realm of personal injury, it’s impossible to give a complete list of what you might need. However, here is a short list of some of the most commonly needed medical records that you might need in a personal injury claim:
Treatment Records
After your injury, you were treated at a hospital or emergency clinic. The records for that treatment are going to be a central part of your case, so you’re going to need to make sure to get copies of everything you can get your hands on. These records are important to not only show what procedures were done, but they will also be a big part in proving why those procedures were necessary–as in, because of the other person’s actions you are using to build your case.
Medication Records
In addition to records of your treatments, you’re going to need to keep a record of all medications you have taken, their costs, their effects, and (in some cases, most importantly) their side effects. Like above, these records will go a long way towards proving the effects of the other party’s actions, and will also paint a picture of how much you have had to deal with since the events in question.
Doctor’s Records
Since the original accident or injury, you have most likely been having regular office visits to a medical professional. Those records will help to show the long-term effects of your injuries, and will continue to build a case that deals with your expenses, as well as continued pain and suffering.
Therapist Records
If your injury has caused you to suffer physical or mental problems that require you to visit a physical therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist, those records are also necessary to help build your case.
Basically, if you visited some sort of medical professional, or had to undergo some form of treatment, you need to document it. But there’s another reason as well: in addition to help building your case and proving injuries, these records will also help prove something else. In many cases, damages are also sought for “pain and suffering.” The problem is, it’s very hard to actually measure such a concept. Having your records available can go a long way towards showing how much you have had to deal with, and can help put a bottom line on your pain and suffering.
