Car Accident Lawyer
After you have suffered a car accident, you may wonder what you can do to receive compensation for your injuries. Once you get a lawyer involved and decide that you want to pursue a claim, it can feel overwhelming. Not only do you need to recover from the accident (physically and emotionally), but you also need to gather evidence to show what happened in the accident and how it caused your injuries. When this is the case, speaking with a lawyer can be invaluable. A lawyer can take a great deal of stress off your plate when it comes to working with the other insurance company and filing your claim documents.
Why is evidence so important?
If you have clear injuries from the accident, you may be asking yourself why it is so important that you gather evidence. It is important to think about down the road, though. If you work with a lawyer, like a car accident lawyer from a law firm like Cohen & Cohen, they will tell you that while you may be interested in pursuing a claim, you should always be prepared to go to court. Why is this so important? If you ended up going to court, the insurance company knows that you will have the burden of proof. This means that you will need to show that the other driver involved in the accident caused the accident to occur and caused your injuries. When this is the case, you should gather evidence as soon as possible.
When do I start getting evidence together?
If possible, you would start getting your evidence from the scene of the accident immediately following the car accident. This means you might get:
- Witness contact information. If there were any witnesses to your accident, get their names and contact information. Your lawyer will want this as soon as possible.
- Pictures/video footage. It can be hard to dispute with a video of exactly what happened. If there are surveillance cameras around anywhere, those might make the difference in whether you win your case and how much you get.
- A police report. To get a police report they must first be called to the scene of the accident. If there was serious property damage or injuries from the accident, the police should be called immediately. They will be able to write a no-biased report detailing the scene of the accident and any information they gather from you and the other driver.
- Make note of the accident scene. Following the accident, make note of the environment. Is it raining? Foggy? Where are the tire skid marks? Do you see vehicle debris on the road? This kind of information can be pertinent to your case.
Whether you have an abundance of evidence or just a few pictures, it is important that you speak with your lawyer as soon as possible. They can help you focus on what you need for your claim and how to prepare in the event that you need to go to court. For more information on car accident claims, reach out to a lawyer you can rely on now.