You should seek immediate medical attention if you even suspect you have an injury. What happens after that? How can you strengthen your case immediately? Unfortunately, it is difficult to say. The details change depending on your unique situation.
There is no set path to success. You would probably have to develop a unique strategy in order to get what you truly deserve. That said, there are some major milestones you could expect.
1. Investigations
After your incident, your investigatory phase starts. At this stage, you gather evidence to support your claim. As FindLaw explains, this evidence might come back later during fact-finding and discovery, which is part of a formal trial. As a result, organizing everything carefully usually saves a great deal of time in the long run.
2. Filing a lawsuit
Sometimes, insurance companies see reason after you present all the facts you collect. However, you might need to file a lawsuit to show them you are serious. This is often the case with serious or catastrophic injuries — you might need to increase the level of formality.
3. Going to court
Negotiating with your insurance company or pursuing pre-trial alternative dispute resolution: These are laudable efforts to save everyone some time and money. However, they do not always work. You might have to go to trial before you get what you really deserve.
Many common types of cases do not take very long to resolve if you handle them correctly. For example, not every car crash case goes to trial. Many insurance companies would know that you have a strong enough case to win. You want full compensation for your injury and they want to avoid the added cost of litigation — it can be a win-win scenario.
However, it is not usually wise to depend on the goodwill of your adversary. Starting as soon as possible and building strong arguments early could make the most out of the facts of your case.