Should You Represent Your Own Personal Injury Claim?

If you recently received minor injuries from an indoor slip and fall accident, you may choose to file a personal injury claim on your own. Although a number of people represent themselves during personal injury claims, it may not be advisable for you to do so. Your claim may not be as simple as you may think. Below are reasons you don't want to represent your personal injury claim yourself.

You Submit the Incomplete or Inconsistent Evidence

One of the most things accident victims need to strengthen or win their claims is evidence. Evidence is anything you can use to prove your case, including medical exams, photographs, and cell phone records. You can also use the written and verbal testimonies and statements of eyewitnesses to back up your claim or case. However, the evidence you submit for your claim should be complete and consistent enough to win your claim.

A personal injury lawyer can examine your evidence to see if it contains everything you need to file and win your claim. Your evidence should include a detailed:

• list of the names and/or contact information of everyone who witnessed your slip and fall
• description of your slip and fall, including where and how it occurred
• timestamp of your slip and fall accident, including the exact date and year

If an attorney doesn't possess all of the information above, they'll obtain it. 

An attorney can also help you find other things you can use for your claim, including evidence hidden on cell phones and security cameras.

You Don't Look for Hidden Evidence

Cell phones can hold a great deal of evidence. Although it doesn't happen in every circumstance, some witnesses can use their cell phones to record accidents. The witnesses may keep the footage on their phones or delete it later. An attorney may need to contact the individuals to see if they still possess evidence of your accident.

The store where you slipped and fell may also have hidden cameras on the premises. If the cameras captured images of your accident, an attorney may request the footage for your case. 

A personal injury lawyer may go over the footage themselves, or they may ask an outside source to view the footage. An outside source may be able to find evidence in the footage that verifies your claim, such as water or obstacles on the store's floor.

For more information about finding evidence for your claim or case, call a personal injury lawyer from a firm like Feldman Lee PLLC today.