The Importance Of Keeping a Car Accident Diary: Could It Help In a Personal Injury Claim?

How Keeping A Diary Can Help In Your Car Accident Case

After a car accident, one of the most important things you can do is keep a diary about the collision. This includes the details you remember about what happened; how the accident has affected you physically, mentally, and emotionally; and how the car accident has impacted your life in the days and weeks afterward. This diary can be an essential part of strengthening your personal injury claim with your Nevada personal injury attorney. Ideally, begin making entries in your car accident diary right away after the incident and continue adding frequent entries as you recover.

What Should I Include In My Car Accident Diary?

Start your diary with a detailed description of what happened during the car accident, being sure to include every detail you can remember. Something that might not seem significant initially can turn out to be very important later in a personal injury claim, so include all of the details. Tell who was involved, what happened, and when and where the accident took place. Even details such as weather conditions, the lighting conditions, precise times and distances that you can accurately remember, and other seemingly minor facts are important. Draw a diagram showing the points of impact on your vehicle and where the collision ended.

Periodically, add notes about your claim. This can include information on which professionals you’ve contacted and how things are moving forward with your vehicle repair and insurance claim, but most importantly, your diary entries should explain how the accident is affecting your life. 

In addition to writing, include pictures of anything that can be documented through an image, including damage to your vehicle or property and physical injuries. Taking pictures will provide additional proof of the extent of your injuries and become an important factor in helping your Las Vegas personal injury attorney to prove any pain and suffering that resulted from the accident.

It’s up to you if you want to use a paper notebook, a three-ring binder, or a document on your computer. No matter what format you choose, the important thing is to keep a diary.

How Often Should I Write In My Car Accident Diary?

Make an entry in your diary as often as you have something to include. In the beginning, you may write daily or multiple times a day, especially if you have a lot of physical or mental symptoms to include. As your recovery moves forward, you’ll probably start making fewer entries. Some people find it helpful to take time to write at least once a week until their insurance claim orLas Vegas personal injury lawsuit is completed.

Allow Your Diary To Help Your Case

The primary goal of keeping a car accident diary is to collect information for your claim with your personal injury attorney. However, it can also serve as a record of your interactions with insurance companies and other professionals who are involved with your case, as well as provide important information for your doctor. Bring your notes to your appointments so you can help your doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor, and other medical professionals understand your symptoms and any limitations that have resulted from your injuries in the car accident. Your doctor may even be able to add a concise version of your notes to your formal medical records, which can be crucial. Insurance adjusters will rely more heavily on information from medical records than they will on what you tell them directly, so having information for your doctor can be very beneficial for your personal injury attorney and insurance claim.

Your diary can be used as a personal record of what you went through and provide a basis for making explanations of your experience to the insurance company. You can avoid unhelpful generic statements such as “I saw my doctor several times” and instead have specific information about exactly how many times you saw your doctor and for which diagnostic tests or specific treatments.

Your personal injury lawyercan utilize the detailed information from your car accident diary to draft a precise and powerful car accident demand letter. Documentation communicates your intentions to the insurance company and will help you and your Reno car accident lawyersettle your claim for a fair amount.

Remember Your Diary May Not Stay Private

If your car accident claim ends up in court, a diary that you made can become part of the discovery process. The other driver’s attorney may be able to take a copy of your diary and even use it against you in the proceedings. It’s important to keep this in mind and to make your entries accurate and professional as you describe your thoughts and experiences. 

Another factor to consider is that a diary you make on your own can be disclosed in the event of a lawsuit, but a diary you make at the request of your Nevada personal injury lawyer can potentially be protected through attorney-client privilege unless you and your lawyer decide to use the diary as evidence in your case. Talk with your personal injury law firm for their advice about how to record and use a car accident diary to support your case.

This article is courtesy of AZ Crash Doctors, a network of medical, legal, and insurance experts who specialize in assisting victims of car accidents. AZ Crash Doctors help car accident victims navigate the complexities of injuries and insurance claims after a collision to promote the best possible outcome.