Honolulu Motor Vehicle Claims Important Initial Steps for Your Claims Honolulu Car Accident Attorney - Claims We Handle Honolulu MVA Injury Attorney - Call us now

Intial Steps - Accidents & Personal Injury Claims Honolulu Maui Oahu Hawaii

Honolulu Hawaii Personal Injury Attorney William Lawson

Personal Injury Lawyer Honolulu

Initial Steps for Personal Injury Claims - Hawaii

Preserving Evidence for Car Accidents, Wrongful Death, and other Claims

Personal Injury Attorneys - Oahu, Maui, Honolulu & all Hawaii

PERSONAL INJURIES AND ACCIDENTAL WRONGFUL DEATH

Basic information - 1. PRESERVATION OF EVIDENCE.

After an accident the very first and most important requirement (from the point of view of making a claim) is usually to preserve whatever evidence is available regarding the accident. This usually involves keeping, saving, storing, and preserving whatever evidence it is possible to keep, save, store, and preserve and also photographing and videotaping all evidence that may for some reason be perishable or subject to change. It also involves locating and interviewing witnesses to the accident and others who may be familiar with the conditions which gave rise to the accident.

All products - such as appliances, furniture, containers, medications, food, etc. - involved in the accident should be saved. Specific examination and testing is often required. The vehicles involved in a severe collision should be saved for inspection by experts. The cause of a motor vehicle accident can often be determined by an expert's inspection of the vehicles involved. A dangerous condition which gives rise to the accident should be photographed and/or videotaped as soon as possible. Otherwise it may change or be changed before the necessary evidence to pursue the claim has been gathered. Interviews should be conducted promptly - before memories fade or subsequent events corrupt the memory's recall. Identifying and locating witnesses and obtaining accurate recall of the events surrounding the accident becomes progressively more difficult with each day that elapses after an accident. Delay may prove to be very costly. So please don't delay.

Proper preservation and documentation of the evidence related to your claims may require experienced investigators and even the involvement of trained scientists and engineers. These expenses can be fairly steep. They are particularly steep for a family already dealing with the financial burdens of an accident. If you retain this office on your case, we will be happy to assist you in keeping, saving, storing, and preserving evidence and in photographing and/or video-taping and otherwise documenting facts and circumstances related to your claims. These costs will typically be advanced by us on a case that we handle.

Basic information -2. Accident/incident reports.

After an accident it is important to begin to record all information relevant to that accident. In a car accident, drivers should exchange: Names, Addresses, Phone Numbers and Vehicle and Insurance Information. If the police are called, a lot of additional information is usually recorded in the police report. In a premises liability accident, the injured person - or his representative - should file an incident report as soon as possible with the owner of the premises where the accident occurred. This report should indicate the approximate location, the date and the time of the injury and a very brief statement (one sentence) of what happened. Similar incident reports can be generated for dangerous product claims, maritime claims, and other claims. The existence of an incident report can be helpful in answering an insurer's first concerns regarding an accident - did this accident really happen and was my insured involved?

Basic information - 3. Medical information.

As soon as reasonably possible after an accident, an injured person should seek qualified medical attention. Although medical care is pretty expensive, the absence of medical care - especially for an extended period of time - may be even more expensive to an injured person. Such delay may significantly damage the valuation of a personal injury claim. It creates uncertainty in the insurer's assessment of the injuries - were they truly a result of this accident? It may also create doubt in the minds of jurors - if the injuries were serious enough for a lawsuit, why wasn't a doctor consulted? See a qualified doctor for your treatment and someone that you trust. Be aware that there are some doctors who bias their opinions in favor of insurance companies. You will want to avoid having such a doctor as your treating doctor.

Basic information - 4. Employment information.

In order to make a lost earnings claim, you will need to have one or more off-work slips (with specific dates indicated) and proof of the earnings lost during that period. The earnings lost can be proven by payroll records, a letter from the employer or other appropriate documentation. For accidents in Hawaii, a wage loss claim is sometimes available under TDI, worker's compensation or occassionally as part of the no fault coverages (for MVAs).

Basic information - 5. Recorded statement.

Most insurance adjusters will want to take a recorded statement from a claimant before completing evaluation of a claim. This statement may be used later to attempt to attack a claimant's credibility. Giving such a statement without the advice and assistance of an attorney carries significant risk. Most claimants are well advised to obtain the services of a competent and experienced personal injury attorney to protect their legal rights before proceeding with such an interview.

Conclusion

In short, there are many steps to be taken to establish a personal injury claim once an accident has occurred which may give rise to a claim. Evidence must be preserved, photographs/videotapes must be taken and witnesses must be located and interviewed. Other basic investigation must be undertaken and information must be gathered. Within a short period of time, much evidence (and perhaps evidence crucial to the case) will be lost. To obtain a satisfactory resolution of the case later, the proper groundwork must be laid at the earliest possible date.




- Our office charges on a CONTINGENCY FEE basis in accident cases which we accept. There is NO CHARGE for an initial consultation to evaluate your case. E-mail us or call us at (808) 524-5300 or (808) 528-2525 if you have any more questions.




- If you believe that you may have a claim, please take a few moments to contact us to outline the nature of your claim. Thank you!




- Please click on the following link to contact us: Contact Us



LEGAL HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT MOST




Facebook Company page for Auto Injury Lawyer Hawaii - William H. Lawson LinkedIn Company page for Top Honolulu Personal Injury Attorney William H. Lawson

Personal Injury Lawyer Hawaii


William H. Lawson, Esq. and
Amy L. Woodward, Esq.

Century Square
1188 Bishop St. Suite 2902
Honolulu, HI 96813

New client hotline:
(808) 524-5300


Pearl City, Aiea and Waipahu:
(808) 671-7600

Main business phone:
(808) 528-2525



Get a free consultation

Directions to Honolulu office



Added Research Tools


Products Liability - Cases & Comment at Accident Lawyer Hawaii.com (leaving this site)

Jones Act - maritime law and seaman cases at Accident Lawyer Hawaii.com (leaving this site)

The Constitution Of The State Of Hawaii at Injury Lawyer Hawaii.com (leaving this site)

Brain Injury Attorney Honolulu - TBI Lawyer Oahu Hawaii

Wrongful Death Claims Attorney - Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii


Recent Personal Injury and Car Accident News

Toddler at daycare injured in a dog attack in Riverside County, California. The injured infant received 180 stitches on her face, arms and stomach. It happened at a home being used as a daycare center on the mainland. The dog involved was a pit bull - which is probably the most dangerous breed of dog to humans. See, Pit bull attacked girl inside Hemet day care center




Awards and Honors

AV Preeminent rated by Martindale Hubbell Martindale Hubbell - AV rated lawyer - Best Rating Possible Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum AVVO Top Rated Personal Injury Attorney AVVO Top Rated Personal Injury Attorney, 10 of 10 ATLA Top 100 Trial Lawyers ATLA Top 100 5.0 of 5.0 top rated by Lawyers.com Lawyers.com - Rated 5.0 out of 5.0 - Top Ratings Possible National Trial Lawyers - Top Lawyer National Trial Lawyers - Top 100 Trial Lawyers Million Dollar Advocates Forum Million Dollar Advocates Forum American Society of Legal Advocates - Top 100 - 2017 American Society of Legal Advocates - Top 100 - 2017 Marquis' Who's Who Marquis' Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in America and Who's Who in American Law Expertise - Top rated law firm for Hawaii car accidentsExpertise - Top rated Honolulu car accident lawyers Seven Figure Lawyers Seven Figure Lawyers Best Attorneys in America - Life Charter Member Best Attorneys in America - Life Charter Member


Click on a link below to visit other resources provided for you:

There is NO CHARGE for sending your case information to our law firm. The information provided on this website is preliminary and informational ONLY. It is not legal advice. The use of our webpages does not establish an attorney-client relationship. This website is copyright 1999-2020 and the contents of this website are the property of Personal Injury Lawyers William H Lawson and Amy L. Woodward. The Terms and Conditions of Use for this website and our Privacy Policy are available here for your consideration. All rights reserved.

Personal Injury Lawyer Hawaii

We thank you for visiting our site!