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Preserving Evidence for Your Car Crash Personal Injury Claim

It all happened so fast. One minute, you were driving your car, thinking about the traffic, about the errand you were in the middle of running, and what you were planning to make for dinner that night. The next minute, you were in an accident. You were pulled over to the side of the road, in pain, and waiting for the police or emergency personnel to come tell you the damage.

Being in a car accident can change your life and the life of your loved ones, especially if you are hurt. You have medical bills to pay, you may be in need of further rehabilitative care to get back on your feet, you may not have an alternate vehicle to drive, and you may even be out of work. If another driver was ticketed during your accident, or if you believe that another driver was a fault, you may be considering filing a personal injury lawsuit to compensate you for your losses. An experienced car accident lawyer Bristol TN trusts can use their immense knowledge of the circumstances and experience in your specific state’s laws to aid you in establishing a strong case..

In the meantime, consider taking steps to preserve evidence. If you file a personal injury lawsuit, your claim may not be settled, or may not go to trial for many months, or even years. Your memory may get hazy in this time, so consider taking the following steps to preserve what you know about the crash:

  • Write down your memory of events, soon after the crash. Include details that you may not think are important; anything may help.
  • Save any photographs that you have of the vehicle that was involved in the crash. This includes photographs that you have of the vehicle before the crash, to reflect its condition before the accident, as well as any photographs you may have taken after the crash, to show the damage to the vehicle. If these photos are on your phone, save them to a computer, hard drive, or print them to make sure they will not be lost.
  • Get the names, phone numbers, addresses, and emails of any witnesses to the crash. The police who arrive at the scene should have done this, but consider making your own record. Write down as much information as the witnesses are willing to provide. In addition to a physical address, try to get an email or cell phone number in case a witness moves.

Keep these documents in a safe place where you can easily find them. You can store them either electronically on a computer with data backup, or in physical form kept somewhere where they will not be damaged or lost.

 

Thank you to the Law Offices of Mark T. Hurt for providing insight on car accident injuries.