When and How To Gain Evidence after a Car Accident
Getting into a car accident can really shake you up, yet the moments right after an accident are some of the most critical when it comes to making a case for your insurance company or, if need be, for the court. Thus, you need to have an idea of what you would do before you find yourself in a situation where you need to act decisively. Knowing what sort of evidence to gather and how to gather it will help you to build your case.
When to Gather Evidence
Your first instinct after you get in an accident should not be to jump out of your car and start scooping up pieces of tail light. Instead, you should check your own safety, the safety of your passengers, and anyone else involved in the accident. You then need to wait for the cops and encourage others involved in the accident to wait also. The police are trained and skilled in gathering intelligence, so most of it will be up to them. However, there are some things that you can do on your own to move the case along.
Depositions
Sometimes there are people who witnessed the accident who may not be willing or able to go into court. Nevertheless, their testimony may be useful in helping you build your case. Asking these people to swear out a deposition, which is basically an out-of-court testimony, will help you to bring their testimony to bear in your case.
Car Accident Interrogatories
Another way to gather evidence is through the use of a car accident interrogatory, which is a set of written questions that a person has to answer. Gathering evidence in person can be intimidating and ineffective, so writing out a set of questions can allow you to get the information you need in a more effective way. After writing these questions, you can submit them to your lawyer, who will then send them to the other party involved in the accident.
Timely Medical Treatment
Waiting too long to go get medical treatment can invalidate your ability to bring medical records to bear in your trial. The problem is that if your condition changes, it is difficult if not impossible to show that the changes are due to your car accident or some other contributing factor. Thus, you need to go get medical help immediately after an accident and get proper documentation of the treatments you receive and at what cost.
Building a personal injury case after an accident hinges on evidence, and the only thing that stops you from gathering the evidence you need is not knowing how to go about it.
For more information about personal injury claims, consider searching the phrase "car accident lawyer brampton" to speak with a lawyer near you.
Share