What should I bring to my initial consultation?

If you have been hurt in an incident, it’s a good idea to gather some information before coming in to see me. Depending on the type of case that you have, there may be some variations on what you should bring.

Motor Vehicle collisions

If you have been in a car accident, motorcycle accident, bicycle accident or were a pedestrian struck by a car, it is always helpful to bring in the Police Accident Report. Sometimes, that is not available immediately following a motor vehicle crash. So it’s ok if you don’t have it. We can always contact the police at a later date to obtain it. Often following a collision, you will receive a field report. That’s a good idea to bring as well.

Additionally, you can bring your car insurance policy. This way we can go over your coverages. Again, it’s not necessary and we can always review late on. Other helpful information would be a list of witnesses, doctors that you saw, photographs of the scene and property damage photos. Finally, if you have any written communications from any insurance companies, that would be helpful.

Ultimately, we can get any of these items following the consultation once we begin our investigation. Our Long Island law firm always does an in-depth investigation on any case that we are retained on. We gather all relevant paperwork, reach out to all witness and even hire experts in the areas of accident reconstruction and engineering if necessary.

Premises Liability Injuries

If you have been involved in a premises liability accident such as a trip and fall or slip and fall, there are some helpful items that you can gather for our initial meeting as well. Again, most of the items can be gathered after our initial consultation.

First, photos of the scene of the incident are always important. In any slip and fall case or trip and fall case, the condition that caused your fall will be an issue. It is important to prove that you were caused to fall by a dangerous condition. It’s best to have that condition documented as close in time to the incident as possible. So, if you fell on a broken walkway it’s good to take a few photos prior to meeting. If you fell on ice or snow, it’s best to take pictures of the condition before it disappears.

Another helpful item to bring is as much information about the location that you were injured such as the address and name of the owner. Also, gather the names of witnesses that either saw your fall or saw the condition that caused your fall. If you know of anyone else who has also fallen there, that can be very helpful. Also, try and get together a list of doctors and healthcare professionals that you have seen following the incident. Finally, if you have been contacted by an insurance company, bring in that information, as well.

Again, none of these items are essential for an initial consultation. We can always gather it at a later date, provided it still exists.  Bringing these items with you will result in a more in-depth initial consultation with less speculation.

Work Related Incidents

The most important issue that comes up in work related accidents is whether your situation is purely a worker’s compensation claim or if it involves a third party. Only if it involves a third party can an attorney recover money for you. If your incident was entirely your employer’s fault or a co-worker’s fault then your only remedy will be making a workers compensation claim. However, if a third party caused your injury you can pursue a claim for additional damages above what is covered by workers compensation insurance.

Here are some examples of third party claims: You were driving for work and another car rear ends your vehicle. You slip on ice entering your building and your employer is a tenant and not responsible for snow and ice removal. Another example is that you’re working on a machine at work and the machine malfunctions causing an injury. The manufacturer of the machine may be at fault in that situation.

If you have a work related accident and there is a third party claim, the best things to bring to the initial consultation are a pay stub from work, incident reports, names of witnesses, doctors information and any insurance paper work.

Whether it’s a motor vehicle accident, premises liability incident or work related accident, the initial consultation with our law firm is always free and usually lasts anywhere from a half hour to an hour. There is no time pressure and we are happy to meet as long as it takes in order to answer all of your questions.