Victim Of An Auto Accident? Tips For Receiving The Settlement You Deserve
When you're the victim of an auto accident and sustain damages to your car or personal injuries, you can sue the driver that is responsible to recover the costs of those damages. If you are not at fault, then you already have a strong case in your favor, but these tips can help ensure you win your settlement and get the most money possible.
Record Evidence At The Accident Site
Part of winning your case is being able to prove everything you are accusing the responsible drive of doing, and you'll need to record evidence at the accident scene. It's always a good idea to contact the police to do this, but you should start getting your own photos from the accident site too.
Get out your smart phone and take photos of things that could be altered after the accident scene is cleaned up. The includes the placement of the cars after the accident to help prove the force of the impact, and exterior car damage that shows where impact occurred. If fault is not 100% clear, you will need this evidence to prove how the accident happened since it could be your word against theirs.
You should also write out the details of what you remember immediately after it happened so that your recollection remains clear and consistent. You can even use the voice memo feature on your phone to simply record your thoughts so that you can recall them later if necessary.
Speak To Any Witnesses
You should talk to everybody that witnessed the accident and get their contact information, since they may be a key in winning a lawsuit. There may not be enough evidence with the photos alone to prove your story, so you will need witnesses to help explain what they observed in their own words.
Get A Police Report
Having a police report can really help move your case along. Even if an officer is not able to make it to the scene of the accident, you should head to the local police station and file a report in person.
Get Medically Evaluated
A car accident can have several injuries with delayed symptoms, so make sure to get evaluated by a medical professional. For example, abdominal pain could be a sign of internal bleeding, and numbness could be a sign of whiplash. Documenting these injuries close to the accident can help prove that they were caused by the accident and not an unrelated incident.
Now that you've done these 4 things, work with a lawyer (click here to read more) to help guide you through the process of getting the settlement you deserve.