It is crucial to recognize the significance of medical records in Louisiana’s personal injury cases. If you are injured in an accident, for example, or because of someone else’s negligence or carelessness, your medical records could be the strongest evidence you have, which could make your case.
Navigating the legal system alone is certainly daunting, and it often seems that way to Louisianans across the state who are harmed or injured. For this specific reason, having quality help as you begin the journey of seeking compensation for an injury.
Medical records: what they contain
Before going into the legal aspects of why medical records are so important, it is important to point out the most crucial factor—your health. Seeking medical attention and documenting what happened and is happening to your body is of primary importance.
In addition, if you are harmed in an accident or any event in which you believe you are entitled to compensation, medical records are the documentation on which your case can rest. Medical records typically include:
- Injuries you sustained, the severity and cause
- Treatments you received, when and where
- Dates and times of events, allowing to create a timeline
- Things from the accident you may no longer remember
Medical records provide so much more than information about your injury, even though the injury is essential to a personal injury case. These records serve as the foundation for proving the extent and impact of your injuries and connecting them directly to the incident that caused the injury.
Causation: connecting the dots
Besides the above, all information contained within your medical records can help your attorney connect the injury to the incident. Think of these records as your body’s voice in a personal injury case—the way your body can communicate what happened, where and why.
Establishing severity of the injury
Your records will not only help connect your injury to the incident but also prove how severe your injury is, which is critical when seeking compensation. For example, if your injuries are severe enough that the incident changes your life drastically, your attorney should present this to the court.
While quantifying an injury in dollars is a complicated matter, your case is not the first one and will not be the last. Considering the existence of precedent, your attorney will probably use past cases to show the court how the justice system has compensated individuals in similar cases.
The importance of medical records in personal injury cases, not only in Louisiana but also in every other state, is of utmost importance. These records are not simply pieces of paper; they contain valuable information that can shield you and provide you with a path for justice.
