Frequently Asked Questions
for Utah Personal Injury Cases

• First there is the fact gathering phase. Once treatment is finished, we request a final set of medical records and bills to make sure we have not missed anything.
• Cases are typically not settled until the main treating physician releases you from his/her care. This may be months or over a year depending on how serious your injuries are.
• The nature of your injury may affect the length of your claim (i.e. scars need to mature and heal & sometimes need revision, waiting for a doctor’s final narrative report could take 3 months, serious injuries take longer to heal and are sometimes followed up with therapy.)
• The response time to our requests from medical providers vary. Some are quick to respond and others are not. We do our best to push the process along.
• If your case does not settle, we may Arbitrate, Mediate or file a Complaint through the Court system. These options will be discussed with you as your case progresses. If you Arbitrate or Mediate, your case could be settled within 2-3 months of application. If you pursue your case through the Court system, it could take a year before your case is tried to a jury. Sometimes your auto insurance carrier or the defendant’s carrier requires that you mediate or arbitrate before pursing it through the court system.
• Sometimes it will be necessary for you to personally provide us with information. Every effort you make to get this information to us in a timely manner helps move your case forward. During your personal injury claim, we need to work as a team, and we need to communicate with each other.

• Initial interview with the client (by our Intake Specialist)
• Educate client about personal injury claims
• Gather documentary evidence including police accident reports, medical records and bills
• Analyze the client’s insurance policy to see whether there are any coverages which the client has that may pay all or a portion of the medical bills while the claim is pending
• Analyze the client’s insurance coverages and make suggestions as to what coverages should be purchased for future protection
• Interview known witnesses
• Collect other evidence, such as photographs of the accident scene
• Talk to the client’s physicians or obtain written reports from them to fully understand the client’s condition
• Analyze the client’s health insurance policy or welfare benefit plan to ascertain whether any money they spent to pay your bills must be repaid
• Analyze the validity of any liens on the case. Doctors, insurance companies, welfare benefit plans and employers may assert that they are entitled to all or part of the client’s recovery
• Contact the insurance company to put them on notice of the claim, if this has not already been done
• Decide with the client whether an attempt will be made to negotiate the case with the insurance company or whether a lawsuit shall be filed
• If suit is filed, prepare the client, witnesses and healthcare providers for depositions
• Prepare written questions and answers and take the deposition of the defendant and other witnesses
• Produce to the defendant all of the pertinent data for the claim, such as medical bills, medical records, and tax returns
• Go to court to set a trial date
• Prepare for trial and/or settlement before trial & prepare witnesses & client
• Organize the preparation of medical exhibits for trial
• Organize the preparation of demonstrative exhibits for trial
• Prepare for mediation and/or arbitration
• File briefs and motions with the court to eliminate surprises at trial
• Take the case to trial with a jury or judge
• Analyze the jury’s verdict to determine if either side has good grounds to appeal the case
• Make recommendations to the client as to whether or not to appeal the case. (However, our contract with you does not obligate us to participate in any appeal.)