If you’re involved in an accident, it can be a traumatic and overwhelming experience. However, a successful personal injury claim can help put you on the road to recovery and provide peace of mind. To make sure you have everything you need to submit a successful claim, we’ve put together a personal injury claim checklist. It will talk you through the next steps to take so that you’re able to get the financial compensation that you need to get your life back on track.
- Take photos/videos. It’s important that you get photos and video evidence of the scene of the accident — the sooner after the incident occurred, the better. This can include pictures of injuries, hazards, damage and if possible, evidence of where and how the accident occurred. If you’ve been injured in a public place, there may also be surveillance footage. Having photo evidence is crucial because it helps paint a clear picture of what happened to you.
- Witness statements. Before you submit a personal injury claim, it’s important that you get in touch with any witnesses and ask them to provide a written statement on what happened. Witness statements should only include facts that they know about from their own experience and can’t include opinions or hearsay. This is key to corroborating your account of the incident and boosting your chances of making a successful claim.
- Contact details. Make sure you get the contact information of the individual or parties that caused your injury. You should also get the details of any other people involved in the event, including eyewitnesses if possible, as they may need to be contacted later.
- Medical report. Having a record of all the medical treatment you’ve received because of the injury is really important. It’s crucial that you see a doctor as soon as possible as they can help determine how serious your injuries are. Make sure you get all relevant medical reports too. This can include diagnostic tests, X-rays, MRIs and referrals.
- Medical bills. You should be able to get reimbursed for the medical costs associated with the accident. Ensure you keep all relevant hospital bills, doctor’s invoices and ambulance transport costs. If you’ve had to pay for medical assistance or equipment such as wheelchairs or crutches, be sure to include receipts for those as well.
- Physical evidence. In some cases, there is also physical evidence. This can include damaged or affected clothing, equipment, tools or vehicles. Make sure you keep the items in their original state. Otherwise, you most likely won’t be able to use them as evidence.
- Insurance information. When you submit a personal injury claim, you submit it to the accused party’s insurer so make sure you get their insurance details. You should also gather all your relevant insurance details.
- Loss of income. To ensure you get properly reimbursed for the time you’ve had to take off work, gather your income statements and payslips. If you’re a freelancer or gig worker, you’ll need to show several months of income evidence. You may also want to provide the prior year’s tax return to show how much you’ve lost out on.
- Police reports. This generally only applies to motor vehicle accidents. Make sure you obtain a copy of the police report. You should be able to get hold of this at your local police station or the station nearest to where the incident occurred.
- Other relevant receipts. Keep all receipts associated with your accident. As well as medical receipts, this can also include receipts for transportation to and from the place you received treatment, hotel accommodation if you needed to travel to see a specific medical specialist and additional childcare expenses.
Personal injury claims: how we can help
At What’s My Claim Worth, we understand how difficult it can be to find clear and jargon-free legal advice. We work to remove the stress, fear and complexity involved in personal injury claims. Our team can help you find a personal injury lawyer who will provide advice tailored to your specific case and personal needs.
We’re here to support you throughout the claims process and help you get the compensation that you deserve so you can get your life back to normal. At What’s My Claim Worth, that means:
- No win, no fee. We work on a no win, no fee basis, so you don’t need to worry about being out of pocket if your claim isn’t successful. You’ll only be charged a fee if you win and our lawyers will only pursue your claim if they believe you’re entitled to compensation.
- Calculating your claim. To help get you started, you can use the What’s My Claim Worth compensation claim calculator. It’s a unique claims calculator that takes into account your specific case details and provides you with an estimated claim range. It’s a good way to see how much you may be entitled to and you can chat with one of our claims advisors about next steps once you’ve completed it. If you want, they can also look into your case and highlight other types of compensation you may be entitled to.
- Personalised advice. If you’re trying to make a personal injury claim, the last thing you want is an impersonal service. Our dedicated team of claims advisors ensure that doesn’t happen. You can easily connect with one of our injury claims professionals and they’ll be able to set up a free case assessment for you, connect you with a lawyer and support you throughout the process by answering any questions and queries you have.
- Putting you in touch with the right compensation lawyer. Our legal panel consists of leading experts from across Australia. Once you’ve completed our online claims calculator, a claims advisor will conduct a free case assessment to learn more about your situation. They’ll then be able to put you in touch with a personal injury lawyer best suited to tackle your case. And if you feel your lawyer isn’t the right fit, we’ll happily find you another one.
Whether you’ve been injured at work, in a motor vehicle accident or in a public place, What’s My Claim Worth can help. Don’t be deterred by the complicated legalese and confusing terminology you can often see with personal injury claims. Find out what your claim is worth with our smart online calculators, discuss the next steps with one of our claims advisors and find a lawyer that’s right for you.
