This diary isn’t like the one that you may have kept in middle school. Your car accident journal is not the place to complain about your parents, write about the person you like, or doodle your name. Instead, it is a document that can be very useful evidence in your car accident case and that may be shared with your attorney, with the other parties to your accident, and in court.
What to Write About
As you begin to keep your journal, you might consider including information about…
- The accident. As soon as possible after your crash, you should record what you remember about the accident. This may include details of the other driver’s behavior before or after the crash, road defects, weather conditions, and other information that could be relevant to what caused your accident.
- Your doctors’ appointments. Obviously, your doctors will keep medical records, but it is still important for you to write down what the doctor told you at your appointment. This will not only help with your potential legal case, but it will also allow you to refresh your memory before your next appointment so that you can ask appropriate follow-up questions.
- Your pain. Your description of your physical pain and your emotional suffering may be persuasive. Pain often fades in time and it is important to remember, and to prove, exactly how much you suffered.
- How the accident has impacted your life. Describe the work that you missed, the family events that you couldn’t attend, the hobbies you couldn’t participate in, your dependence on others, and any other details that could be relevant to your claim.
It is important to tell the truth, to date all of your entries, and to avoid abbreviations that may not make sense to you later.
How to Keep a Journal
You should write your journal in a convenient way so that you remember to use it regularly. You could, for example:
- Keep a document on your tablet or computer.
- Take notes in a separate file on your smartphone.
- Use a notebook, or even a traditional paper journal, to record your thoughts.
The method is not as important as the finished product.
For more tips on how to protect your car accident recovery, please download a free copy of our book, The Ultimate Guide for Automobile Accident Victims, today.
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