Your Michigan personal injury lawyers will tell you that a diary can be a very effective tool in building your case. With this article, we begin a four-part series on how to keep a personal injury journal. Here, we will talk about the importance of your diary as a means of recording both the existence and effects of your injuries. In subsequent articles, we will address more specifically how to write your entries.

Why is a personal injury diary important?

The short answer to this question is that a diary documents your injuries and makes them real. This can be especially significant if your injuries do not have an obvious physical manifestation. More than that, it can take time – sometimes years – for injury cases to get to a settlement and/or trial, and a well-kept diary will help you recall how you felt on a particular day. Your recorded details will help you in preparing for your deposition (a pretrial proceeding in which you must answer questions under oath), and may well become critical evidence if your case goes to trial.

This important responsibility falls on you

As a productive member of your litigation team, it is your responsibility to keep this diary—nobody else can do it for you. Nobody else knows how you feel or how your pain is affecting your daily life. Where injury doesn’t prevent you from doing so, your notes should be in your own handwriting, even if it’s difficult to read. (This could even work in your favor.) Keep your diary confidential, and mail copies of the updated pages to your attorney each month, so that he or she is kept up to date as preparation for your trial continues.

If you have any questions about the value of a personal injury diary, our experienced Michigan personal injury lawyers are available to help. You can reach us 24/7 by submitting our online contact form or calling 1-800-961-8477.