The key to winning any personal injury claim after a car crash is strong evidence. You must have several important kinds of evidence to prove your auto accident case. Here are ways to ensure you gather the evidence you need to support your case after a car crash.
Get Visual Evidence
You should take plenty of photos of the accident scene after you’re in a car crash. Be sure you take photos from all different angles (inside the car, outside, from the front and the back of your vehicle) so you can document the line of site for both drivers.
You can also take pictures of traffic after your crash. Make sure you take photographs at the same time of day that your accident occurred as well as on the same day of the week that your accident occurred. These details will help you document how traffic was at the time and day of your crash.
You should have a friend, family member, of even a third-party person such as your personal injury attorney record the details pertaining to each photo of your car and of the crash scene you take.
Those details should include the angle, location, time, date, and any other pertinent information.
Return to the Crash Scene
You should return to the scene of the auto accident to collect any evidence that may have been left behind. To do this, you must look for any important factors that could have contributed to the crash that will help prove that you were not at fault for the accident.
These include:
- No visual clearance for drivers at an intersection, such as weeds and shrubs
- A faulty traffic light
- Missing traffic signs
Every detail like this should be photographed and documented. By providing every piece of evidence you can to support your claim will help support your argument that you are not to blame for the crash and your injuries.
Proving liability is extremely important when you are filing a personal injury claim, especially in states where you would be ineligible for an auto accident claim if you were only partially at fault for a crash.
Keep and Protect Any Physical Evidence
Physical evidence often helps determine how large your settlement could be after an auto accident. You will likely want to repair your car as soon as possible, but you should not only take photos of the damage done to the car, but save the bills from the auto repair shop as well.
The same can be said for your bodily injuries—photograph your bruises for physical evidence of your pain and suffering, but save your bills as well for tangible proof that you’ve suffered financially after the auto accident.
Some bills you may be able to claim include:
- Auto repair
- The value of your car, if yours was wrecked
- Medical and surgery bills
- Future chiropractor bills if you suffered whiplash
A Personal Injury Lawyer
A personal injury lawyer can improve your odds of a successful personal injury claim after an auto accident. Your lawyer can assist in preserving and gathering evidence.
If you were involved in an auto accident, you should contact a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.