Why Does My Personal Injury Lawyer Need So Much Personal Information?

After a serious accident, your life can become an open book. While receiving medical treatment for your injuries, you will be poked and prodded and questioned. You may be X-rayed and MRIed. Many people who are shy or modest find the medical aftermath following an accident to be quite disconcerting. That feeling can be compounded when you realize that your personal injury lawyer will also be gathering all types of personal information about you. You may wonder: is this really necessary?

The truth is that for your personal injury lawyer to advance your claim convincingly, he or she must be able to present a very clear picture to the insurance company or defence lawyer of what your life was like before the accident. This involves providing first hand documents to the other side which depict an accurate "before" snapshot.

Some clients wish we would not obtain employment records directly from their employer. Of course, we would never do that without consent. However, we would urge you to give that consent. The insurance company is not going to take your word for it that you were a model employee with an excellent attendance record before the accident. To prove that fact, which will really help your accident claim, the insurance company will want to see your employment records first hand. Your personal injury lawyer can obtain those directly from your employer with minimal disruption.

Many clients wonder why it is necessary to provide any past medical records to the insurance company. Again, the goal when seeking compensation is to show how the accident has changed your life. Without showing what your health was like before the accident, it is impossible to demonstrate the change that has taken place because of the accident. That is why it is typical to provide past medical records for the 3-5 years before the accident.

Many clients are also surprised to learn that a personal injury lawyer will also request documents from the government, including past tax returns, employment insurance or other social welfare benefit records and similar documents. There are a number of reasons for doing this. If the client is claiming lost income, it is important to know what has been claimed in documents filed in the past with the government to ensure consistency. It is also important for the client to have a chance to review documents filed in case there are any corrections that need to be made. For example, it is very important to have a clean income tax record when mounting a claim. Otherwise, you give the insurance company's lawyer a chance to attack your credibility and integrity. If your lawyer has your files up front, you will have an opportunity to correct any issues that could interfere with your claim down the road.


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Ottawa personal injury lawyer Brenda Hollingsworth helps Ontario accident victims obtain compensation for their injuries. Call 613 860-4539 for your free consultation or visit http://www.personalinjuryottawa.ca