Getting hurt is never a choice; unfortunately, many of us will face an injury as the result of an accident. But if such an injury occurs as the result of another person’s negligence, you may decide to engage the services of a personal injury attorney. Often, the injured party decides to hire an attorney because of medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering caused by another party’s negligence. A personal injury – as defined by the law – can happen anywhere, in the workplace, while shopping, even while driving. All that is required of such an injury, in order for it to possibly have merit in a court of law, is that it occurs because someone else was negligent. A fall in a store because there was no sign warning you a wet floor, a car accident as the result of a drunken driver, and many other events can constitute a personal injury case and prompt the hiring of a personal injury attorney.

The job of a personal injury attorney is to first determine if your case has merit. If it is determined that your injury did, in fact, occur as the direct result of another person’s actions – or non-actions – then your attorney may choose to move ahead with the case. Often, a personal injury attorney will first attempt to settle the case out of court, asking the other party for a pre-determined sum of money that will cover medical expenses, property damage, lost wages that are a result of the injury, and anything else that you and your attorney feel should be included in the financial restitution. If such a settlement is not a success, then your personal injury attorney will bring the case to court where they will argue in front of a jury in order to prove your case and convince the jury to award you damages.

This process is by far the most difficult as you must convince the jury – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that you were injured as a direct result of someone else’s negligence. And this is where solid evidence comes into play. Your attorney will surely ask you to gather all evidence associated with your case; anything that will help to prove the circumstances surrounding your injury. Such evidence may include eyewitness accounts, still photography and video of the accident scene, injuries sustained, or even the accident itself, police reports - if any – that were filed, and any other materials that will help your case.

As it is incumbent upon the personal injury attorney to present your case to the best of their abilities, it is incumbent upon you as a responsible client to provide them with all of the evidence that they need to do their job.