How to Gather Evidence for Car Accident Claims
If you’re involved in a car accident, gathering evidence at the scene is crucial for building a claim and ensuring a fair settlement. Adequate documentation helps to establish fault and show the extent of damages and injury.
You can use different types of evidence to support your claim, including first-hand accounts and third-party records. Read more to learn about gathering useful evidence for your claims.
1. Ask for Official Police Reports
Police reports are among the most important pieces of evidence in car accident cases. These reports usually contain vital information, including the date, time, observations, statements from each party, and any citations issued.
The police also document other factors, such as road hazards and weather conditions. The report may contain details about the damages and injuries resulting from the accident. It is an unbiased account of events, so you must get a copy after the accident.
2. Collect Eyewitness Statements
Eyewitnesses offer independent accounts of how accidents took place. Collecting their statements can strengthen your case, so you must speak to them immediately after the accident. Ask them to provide details of what they saw, heard, or noticed before, during the accident, and afterward.
These statements help confirm your account of the events. Do not forget to collect the witnesses’ contact information to reach them later. Consider getting your lawyer to interview the witnesses for the case.
3. Take Photos and Videos of the Accident Scene
Photos and videos help record car accident scenes. They offer visual insights into the damages, injuries, and entire aftermath of the event and are strong pieces of evidence. Take photos of the damaged cars, laptops, phones, road signs, barriers, and nearby structures. Record video evidence of the weather conditions, witnesses, and the driver’s behavior may be useful during the claims process.
4. Save Your Medical Records
If you suffered any personal injuries, your medical records help to link them to the car accident. Hence, you should get prompt medical help for your well-being and save the medical records for your forthcoming claims.
These records include medical reports, diagnostic tests, and treatment records. If you’re seeing specialists or therapists or receiving any other medical treatment, ensure it is covered in your records. They are quite useful in determining damages.
5. Keep Physical Evidence
Besides obtaining reports and statements, it is important to save the physical evidence from car accidents when filing claims. Even for minor accidents, keep the debris and preserve the skid marks. They help you secure low speed rear-end collision settlements and compensation from bad accidents.
Physical evidence offers tangible indications of the accident’s occurrence. If there is a need to hire an accident reconstruction expert, they’ll find this evidence useful. You can also use it to corroborate eyewitness statements and your account of the events.
6. Maintain an Accident Journal
Document your account of the accident in a journal. Start from the events leading to the accident, including the weather and the road conditions. Record detailed descriptions of the impact, vehicle positions, and any physical trauma.
Record all the symptoms and injuries you suffer from the accident. A journal helps you record your first-hand experience and the following events. This information will be useful when working with a car accident lawyer.
Endnote
Adequate evidence documentation is vital when filing an accident claim. To do this, request police reports, gather eyewitness statements, and take photos and videos of the scene. Saving your medical records and physical evidence and journaling the accident also helps your case.