Mansfield, MA Personal Injury Lawyer

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When helping victims recover compensation from negligent parties, we can ensure they take the proper steps to record their injuries and damages incurred from the accident.

Documenting personal injuries due to negligence is paramount. Victims can accomplish this by calling the police and requesting assistance from paramedics. Urgent medical care is important, as it will generate records our attorneys may use as evidence. Medical treatment means medical bills, and we can consider those costs when calculating your financial damages from the accident in question. We will also assess your non-economic losses and may request compensation for pain and suffering when filing the complaint. While preparing your case, we can preserve crucial proof that could undermine potential comparative fault arguments, such as eyewitness statements and physical evidence from the scene.

For a confidential and free case evaluation from the Law Office of John J. Sheehan, call our Brockton, MA personal injury lawyers at (617) 925-6407.

Documenting Personal Injuries Caused by Negligence in Mansfield, MA

When injured because of negligence, turn your attention toward documenting those injuries and their cause. Victims who are seriously injured or otherwise need help processing a scene and collecting information can call 911 and get help from law enforcement.

Documenting Injuries by Calling 911

Tell the police about your injuries, even though you may not know their full extent or diagnoses at the scene. Officers may note in reports whether or not victims requested or accepted medical care from paramedics or went to the hospital. Victims can call 911 and ask for help after any accident, but should especially do so for motor vehicle accidents.

Documenting Injuries by Taking Photos

Victims may also photograph their injuries at accident sites. This is particularly important when no one else witnesses an incident, as is often the case in slip-and-fall accidents. Photographs can document visible injuries right after an incident, helping to show that a victim was injured because of the specific accident in question. Photos can help prove the exact location, date, and time you sustained your injuries in Mansfield. If you need assistance taking photos, you can ask first responders or eyewitnesses for help.

Documenting Injuries by Getting Medical Treatment

You can further document your injuries through emergency medical treatment. When negligent parties cause accidents, victims should get medically evaluated even if they feel physically okay. Certain injuries, like internal injuries, might lurk under the surface for several days or weeks, and getting treatment early could catch those injuries and prevent them from worsening.

Follow the treatment plans emergency room doctors, specialists, and other treating physicians give you. Letting gaps form in your care could raise questions about the severity of your injuries and your need for compensatory damages.

While documenting your injuries is important, refrain from discussing them with anyone outside your case, including online on social media. Contradicting your case, even unintentionally, could threaten your recovery.

Documenting Damages from Personal Injuries in Mansfield, MA

Documenting damages due to negligence is vital, as victims must present proof of their economic and non-economic losses to get compensation from negligent parties.

When injured, victims incur economic damages from medical treatment almost instantly. Emergency room visits are expensive alone, and costs from additional surgeries or treatments from specialists could add up quickly. We can focus on documenting your medical damages and getting copies of hospital charges to accurately calculate your medical losses from the accident.

We can use expert testimony to inform whether or not we include future damages in our compensation request. This may be necessary if you cannot return to work and earn an income or will need further medical treatment once your claim ends. When calculating lost wages due to personal injuries, our personal injury lawyers may need access to various documents, like recent paystubs or tax returns.

Non-economic damages are often associated with painful physical injuries. Victims might experience mental anguish because of reduced quality of life, changes to their physical abilities, or the traumatic experience of the accident itself. Needing long-term medical treatment involving surgeries, physical therapy, or other care can also take a considerable toll on victims. To document your emotional distress from the accident, you can keep a journal detailing your struggles. Victims may also consider confiding in therapists, as testimony from mental health professionals can speak to a victim’s intangible damages.

Comparative Negligence and Personal Injury Claims in Mansfield, MA

In personal injury lawsuits, the liability of all parties, including the victim’s potential shared fault, may be considered. Victims’ recoveries could be reduced if they do not successfully prepare their claims against comparative negligence arguments.

Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 231, § 85 describes Massachusetts as a modified comparative fault state. A plaintiff’s negligence may not outweigh a defendant’s, or they will be barred from compensation. Victims who are less at fault may still file personal injury lawsuits. However, their damages may be reduced proportionally. This is often seen in car accident cases but also affects other personal injury lawsuits.

Preserving evidence can help our lawyers overcome comparative fault defenses and help you make a full financial recovery. We may do this in various ways, such as immediately identifying and interviewing eyewitnesses. For example, if a negligent driver claims you were also speeding at the time of the accident, which led to them misjudging the room they had to merge into your lane, contributing to the accident, we would want to speak to eyewitnesses. Their testimony could negate such arguments from the defendant, as could statements from accident reconstruction experts.

In addition to eyewitness and expert witness statements, our lawyers may review incident reports, photos from the scene, security camera footage, and victims’ medical records to undermine comparative fault arguments and mitigate the effects on victims’ financial recoveries.