Car accidents are extremely stressful situations, which can cause a great deal of pain and leave you with substantial damages. Collecting evidence after a crash is an important step if you plan to make a claim with the insurance company and seek financial compensation to cover your damages. Below are five pieces of evidence you should try to gather following a car accident.
Information from all parties involved in the accident
You should exchange the following information with everyone involved in the accident: names, home addresses, contact phone numbers, license numbers, license plate numbers, insurance policy numbers, vehicle descriptions, and vehicle registration numbers. This basic information will be necessary if you file a claim.
Statements from witnesses
If there were any bystanders or other witnesses at the scene, be sure to get their names, contact information, and a brief statement of what they saw. If needed, your lawyer can follow up with these people and have them make affidavits or, if necessary, call them as witnesses. Witness statements help to give an objective third party perspective to a case.
Photos
It is critical that the scene of the accident is thoroughly documented. One of the best ways to do this is by taking pictures. Make sure to take pictures of all damage caused by the accident, including the state and location of the vehicle and any physical injuries. Additionally, take pictures to show the conditions of the roads, any skid marks, and the weather.
Medical evidence
After an accident, it is vital that you get professional medical attention, even if you think your injuries will heal on their own, since some injuries—like brain injuries, concussions, and internal bleeding—only reveal themselves after the fact. Seeing a medical provider after an accident helps document the injuries incurred from the accident, which helps to hedge against insurance companies that attempt to argue your injuries were caused by something else to avoid paying out on claims.
Police reports
You should get the police involved after a car accident, especially if there was significant property damage, severe injury, or any fatalities. Police reports carry a lot of information in the early resolution of claims and serve as objective third-party accounts of what happened.
If you have these five types of evidence, you have done what is in your power to increase your chances of having a favorable outcome. If you have been involved in a car or truck accident due to the negligence, recklessness, or carelessness of another driver, reach out to a car accident lawyer today.
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Baskin Jones is an attorney and lifelong Mississippi resident who represents individuals who have been injured by someone else. These injuries are caused by car wrecks, bicycle wrecks, motorcycle wrecks, and 18-wheeler wrecks. Mr. Jones always represents the injured individual against the insurance company and focuses on including all elements of available damages in the claims he makes.
