When you are injured in a car accident, you should assume that you will have to fight with the negligent driver’s insurance company for the compensation that you deserve no matter how cut and dried your claim appears to you. That is unfortunately what occurs when many accident victims file their claims. This means that you need to immediately start building your case against the negligent driver. You do this by collecting evidence, and this should start at the scene of your wreck.
Evidence That You Can—and Should—Gather at the Scene of Your Car Accident
The reality is that the accident scene contains a wealth of evidence that can help you prove the other driver was at fault in causing your wreck. If you are not too seriously injured, you should collect this information right after your crash occurs. If you are too hurt to do so, ask a passenger or witness to do this on your behalf. Here is evidence that you should try to obtain:
- Contact information for drivers. You should obtain the contact information for the driver and his insurance company. This will enable you to pursue your claim against him and file a claim with his insurance company.
- Witness contact information. Be certain to get the contact information for any witnesses to your accident. Especially if they are neutral witnesses that you do not know. Neutral witnesses may have powerful corroborating evidence of the other driver’s fault.
- Damage to vehicles. Be certain to take pictures of the damage to the vehicles before they are moved. This can show that the other driver hit you and not the other way around.
- Accident scene. You also want to take pictures of the accident scene and nearby helpful information. This can include pictures of the actual scene of your wreck, road conditions, weather conditions, skid marks, road signs, debris on the road, and any other information that you believe played a factor in your crash.
- Cameras. If you see any security cameras, red light cameras, or other cameras that may have recorded your accident, you should take a picture of them so you know who to contact to obtain the video footage.
We Can Help You Obtain the Evidence You Need
What happens if you were too injured to collect this information? Our experienced car accident attorneys can help you attempt to retrieve the evidence you need to hold the negligent driver accountable. To learn more about how we can help, call our office today to schedule a free consultation with a member of our legal team.
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