What To Expect At Your First Attorney Meeting

When you’ve been injured in a car, truck, or other type of accident, you’ll have many questions about the litigation process.

• Which doctors should you see?
• Who will pay the medical bills?
• Will you be compensated for your pain and suffering, your medical bills, and your lost income?
• Should you speak with the defendant’s insurance company?
• When will your case settle?

These are just some of the many questions accident victims and the families of relatives who were killed in an accident have. At the initial consultation, our experienced Aurora car accident lawyers will answer all of your questions.

Discussing the liability part of the case

There are two main parts to every case. The first part is called “Liability.” To collect damages (the second part), you need to show that someone else is responsible for causing the accident that injured you. In car accident cases, the liable people normally include the driver and the owner of the car.

Depending on how the accident occurred, other defendants may be liable too. For example, in a truck accident case, the trucking company that hired the truck driver may be liable. If you fell at a restaurant or some other place of business, defendants (other than the owner of the business) may include repair and maintenance companies.

Our lawyers will review the following issues, among others to help understand who is liable:

• How did the accident happen?
• Were there any witnesses?
• Did the police come to the scene of the accident?
• If vehicles were involved, where is your vehicle now?
• Were any ambulances or emergency medical technicians called?
• What were the weather conditions like when the accident happened?
• Many other questions and issues depending on your individual case

We’ll explain that in many cases, we work with investigators who will go back to the scene of the accident and who will speak with any witnesses. We’ll review the police report.

Discussing the damages part of the case

The second part of your case is your “Damages.” Our Aurora personal lawyers will review:

• All your injuries. We’ll discuss every part of your body that causes you any type of pain or limitation.
• Which doctors you’ve seen and are seeing. In some cases, we recommend that you see other physicians. Many car accident victims need to treat with orthopedists, pain management doctors, neurosurgeons, and other medical specialists. Some patients need to treat with psychologists and chiropractors.
• Your treatment plan. We’ll discuss whether you’re treating with any physical therapists, occupational therapists, or other types of health care professionals. We’ll review your long-term prognosis.

We’ll explain that your own health insurance company will likely pay your bills until your case is resolved. Or, if paying your co-pays and deductibles is not an option for you, we’ll look into other ways to cover your medical expenses while you are receiving treatment.

Our legal team will review the income that you’re losing because you’re too hurt to work. We’ll arrange to get reports from your employers to document your income loss. If you have a disability, we’ll explain how we document your future lost income.

If you were in a vehicle accident, we’ll arrange to have your car (or other vehicle) examined to determine the cost to repair it or whether it needs to be replaced. We’ll review your collision insurance and explain which insurance company pays for your vehicle damage.

Discussing the legal process

Our lawyers will give you an overview of how the litigation process works such as:

• The steps to prepare your case
• When we begin negotiations with your insurance company
• How the legal discovery process works
• How court hearings and trials work
• How long the process should take

What should you bring to the first meeting?

We need the name of all involved insurance companies and the policy or claim numbers. This includes your health and auto insurance, and the insurance information of the person responsible for the accident.

We’ll need to know where the accident happened. This means we need the street names and the town where the accident occurred if the accident was a vehicle accident. If you were injured while at a store or any place of business, we’ll need to know which store or place of business and the location of the store/business.

Our lawyers also need to know the names of the hospitals you went to and the doctors you’re treating with.

The contingency fee agreement

In car, truck, motorcycle, bus, premises liability, and other types of personal injury cases; we handle your case on a contingency fee basis. This means we are paid only if your case settles or there is a verdict in your favor. We receive a percentage of the recovery. This means we have a vested interest in getting the best result possible for you because we only get paid if you get paid. There are no out of pocket expenses to you.

We’ll prepare a written agreement explaining the percentage we receive and the responsibility for any costs such as filing fees and medical reports.

Talk with an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after an accident

Delay can hurt your case. There are time limits for filing a case. We need to review the accident site. Memories fade. The sooner your case is ready, the sooner we can start settlement discussions. At the Law Office of Anna L. Burr, LLC, our seasoned personal injury lawyers guide clients through each phase of your case from the initial interview through settlement or a trial. To speak with a skilled personal injury lawyer, call the Law Office of Anna L. Burr, LLC at 720-500-2076 for a free, no-obligation consultation.