|
What happens immediately following a car crash can greatly affect the outcome of any personal injury claim you may file following a car crash in which you have sustained injuries. Unfortunately, many people simply don't know what information they need to gather from a crime scene, nor is there a personal injury lawyer there to hold your hand or advise you on what to do. Therefore, it is important that you know what information you need to gather at an accident scene. This information can then be given to your attorney, who can use it to win your case. Take Pictures: Obviously, if you are seriously injured, you need to stay put and wait for help to arrive. However, if you are not, one of the first things you should do is get out of your vehicle and take pictures of the accident scene. It is important that you do this before vehicles are moved off to the side of the road or before a tow truck comes to move either vehicle. The position of the vehicles and the photos themselves may eventually help a personal injury lawyer prove to a court who was at fault for the accident and how the accident occurred. And since most people have cell phones with cameras, getting a picture is easy. Speak to the Witnesses and Get Their Statement: After the accident happens, witnesses will typically pull over and ensure everyone is all right. However, after they verify this, many take off and go on their way. Witnesses can be crucial to a personal injury claim. They can help establish who was at fault, what caused the accident or verify that the other party was driving recklessly or on their cell phone. If there are no witnesses, it is simply your word against the other driver's. It is hard to win cases without good, solid evidence. Having witnesses gives you that good solid evidence. Therefore, before your witnesses take off, just get their name, address and phone number. Once you hire a personal injury lawyer, you can pass along that information and they can interview the witness and get the information they need from them. Call the Police So They Can Take A Report: After the accident, you will want to call the police and ask them to make an accident report. The accident report can be submitted in court, and can be used to help you win your case. An accident report states exactly where the accident happened, what time of day it happened, what the date of the accident was and what road and weather conditions were like. The report may also list witnesses and typically states what the officers feel contributed to a crash and who was responsible. Having a police report that shows another party was at fault for the accident that caused your injuries is a key piece of evidence for a personal injury lawyer. So getting this report is pretty important. Get Seen By a Medical Professional: As soon as you begin to experience pain, you need to be seen by a medical professional. The sooner you are seen, the better. This helps establish a timeline for when your symptoms developed. Many people make the mistake of thinking that they are just a little sore following an accident. As such, they don't go to the doctors for days or weeks. By that time, there can be questions as to whether the car crash caused the injuries or whether something else caused the injuries. If a medical professional sees you right away, they can document any marks on your body, such as swelling, redness or bruising, that may help trace your injuries back to the car accident.
Related Articles -
personal, injury, lawyer,
|
