An accident that results in bodily injury is when the victim suffers an impairment of their physical condition. Several events, including automobile collisions, can cause this, slip and falls, dog bites, workplace injuries involving heavy machinery, defective products or premises safety issues, being attacked or assaulted by another person or animal, etc.
To succeed with a personal injury case, a victim must detail their injuries and losses in a bodily injury statement. This document reports the incident to the police and files a civil claim against the responsible party.
If you have sustained bodily injuries and need to record a statement, a North Bergen Personal Injury Attorney can help you out. Here are some details you should include when writing a compelling bodily injury statement.
Cause of Your Injuries
When writing a bodily injury statement, it is essential to assign a cause. For example, suppose the cause of your injuries was an automobile accident. In that case, you must include whether or not you were inside or outside of the vehicle when the collision took place and weather conditions at the time. In addition to describing how the car crash occurred, also make sure to include how it affected you.
Nature of the Injuries
Another factor to include in your bodily injury statement is the nature of your injuries. This should be a list rather than going into detail about every injury. Here, you can include details such as:
- Your pain level on a scale of one to ten
- Whether or not the pain is constant, intermittent, or varies in intensity
- The severity of injuries and treatments required as a result
- Presence of any long-term effects from the damage
Medical Treatment Received
If you have sought medical treatment for your injuries, be sure to list it in your bodily injury statement. You can also demand future care needs if you know that you will need treatments or procedures throughout the recovery process. You should request reimbursement for both current and future medical expenses in most cases.
Do not forget to list any related expenses you have incurred because of your injuries; this should include rent/mortgage payments, transportation costs (i.e., cab fares), clothing replacement if your clothes were damaged in the accident, child care, etc.
Loss of Quality of Life
Finally, you must include a section of your bodily injury statement that demands reimbursement for any lost quality of life. This is different from medical expenses because it pertains to the physical and emotional toll your injuries have taken on you, not what it costs to treat them. For example: “I was unable to sleep for several nights after my accident because of the pain I was in. This caused me to lose several hours at work, and I am now afraid to leave my house.” If you have this kind of issue, make sure you list it in your bodily injury statement.
In summary, you need to record a bodily injury statement for any injuries sustained through an accident. When writing a bodily injury statement, you need to include the cause and nature of your injuries. Also, detail the expenses accrued due to the damage and the effect of the accident on your quality of life.