After a collision, the paperwork often arrives before you know the full effect of the injury. You may hear from an adjuster, receive a repair estimate and start collecting medical bills at the same time. A useful first file separates what happened, what the records show and what still needs clarification. This guide offers a starting point for organizing that information.
Keep the basic accident records together
The Texas Department of Insurance recommends collecting the drivers' information, photographs, witness contacts and details about the location and conditions. Keep the crash report number and any report you obtain. Save the photographs and videos in their original form. If someone else has relevant footage or information, identify that person in your request so the question can receive attention during review.
Separate each insurance file
Record the insurer, claim number, adjuster's contact information and correspondence for each claim. Your own coverage and the other driver's coverage can raise different issues. Texas insurance regulators explain that policies may include different forms of protection and may impose reporting and cooperation requirements. Avoid assuming that one adjuster's response resolves every available claim. A legal review should begin with the actual policy and correspondence.
Describe treatment and its practical effects
Prepare a factual list of providers, visit dates and bills you have received. Note whether treatment continues and which records you have requested. Describe changes in work, school or ordinary activities in your own words. Distinguish a diagnosis a provider gave you from a symptom you experienced. Medical decisions belong to you and your health care providers. The firm's intake process collects the history so Omer can understand the records and the work a claim may require.
Do not assume every deadline is two years
Texas law generally gives personal injury claims a two-year limitations period measured from accrual, but exceptions and other requirements can change the analysis. Government-related claims can involve separate notice requirements, including local provisions. Insurance policies can also require prompt notice or other steps. These periods serve different purposes. Tell the firm about possible government involvement, every relevant date and any notice you have received. A lawyer must verify the requirements for the particular claim.
Identify anything already signed or offered
Include any release, settlement offer, authorization or prior engagement agreement. Tell us whether you have already given a statement and whether another lawyer represents you. You do not need to decide whether a document is important before identifying it. The initial form should stay brief. After conflict clearance, the firm requests the substantive materials through a secure method and asks focused follow-up questions where the record remains incomplete.
Know what the proposal will address
A written proposal identifies the representation offered, the attorney's fee and responsibility for case costs. Contingency fees and expenses are separate questions. The firm does not promise to advance case costs, and any different arrangement must appear in writing. Routine collection of your own PIP or MedPay benefits carries no attorney's fee under the firm's advertised policy, with disputed coverage scoped separately. A request for review does not mean the firm has accepted the matter or responsibility for a deadline.
Case expenses, such as filing fees, records, depositions and expert witnesses, are separate from the attorney's fee and are the client's responsibility, including if there is no recovery, unless we agree otherwise in writing. We explain the payment arrangements before you hire us. The current percentage schedule is on the Fees page.
Sources
General information only, not legal advice for your situation.