Over 20 million people are injured in car accidents each year, and nearly 1.3 million people die as a result of accidents. A lot of these accidents could have been prevented had the other driver been paying attention, but there is nothing you can do to take back what has already happened. If you are part of these statistics and have injuries from an automobile accident, you have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver. To do this, you will need to hire a lawyer and gather the following documents to use as evidence.

Police Report

If the police were called to the accident, there will be a police report available. This report states:

• The location of the accident
• The time and date
• Information about what happened
• Any evidence or facts about the accident
• Names of witnesses

This one report could be a crucial part of your lawsuit, especially if it clearly illustrates that the other party was at-fault. Another reason this is important is because it contains the names of people that witnessed the accident. You may need to contact these witnesses to back up your case if it goes to court.

Employment Records

One of the things you will have to prove in your case is that you missed work because of the accident. To do this, you can ask your employer for a copy of your employment records. This will show your attendance history at your job and will state the days you have missed because of the injury.

To prove that you really could not work because of your injuries, you may need to go a step further by collecting copies of all your medical records since the accident

Medical Records

Your medical records are another vital part of your case, but it can sometimes be hard to obtain all the records on file. You can call your health providers and request copies of all the reports and information they have on file, and you can also mail them written requests for these documents. They are legally required to give you this information, and you can use it to build your case.

As you get these copies, make sure you request reports from all the healthcare professionals that helped you, including any reports made by a therapist or counselor you visited.

Personal Diary of Feelings

Personal injury cases often involve large settlements, and the settlements are designed to cover:

• Damages to assets
• Costs of medical bills
• Loss of work now and in the future
• Punitive damages, such as pain and suffering

It is not hard to estimate the amount of money you spent to repair or replace your car or to determine how much your hospital bills were, but it can be hard to place a value on the amount of pain and suffering the accident caused. This is the reason you should keep a diary after the accident.

You can use the diary to record your feelings each day, and this is something your attorney may use when he or she asks for punitive damages. If the diary clearly shows that you are suffering emotionally from the accident, the court may award you monetary damages for your loss. Make sure you write in it often and include all the things you are feeling.

The first step in a personal injury case is to prove that the other party is at-fault for the accident, and the second step is determining how much money to ask for. With the help of your attorney and the facts from these documents, you should be able to request the right amount of compensation that the court will agree with.

Visit http://www.atlanticcanadainjurylawyers.com for more information.