If you have been injured in a car accident that was caused by a negligent driver, you may want to pursue a legal claim to recover compensation for your injuries and losses. However, if you have never been involved in a car accident case before, you may not know what evidence you will need to seek compensation from the at-fault party. Fortunately, a Virginia Beach car accident lawyer like Mike Deering and his team at Deering Hedrick could help by investigating the crash, securing vital evidence, and pursuing fair compensation on your behalf.
Evidence in Car Accident Injury Claims
Evidence commonly used in car accident injury cases includes:
Documentary photos or videos of the accident scene
Photos and videos of the accident scene taken by the drivers involved in the accident, witnesses, attorneys, or insurance adjusters often serve as important evidence in car accident injury cases. Details that should be captured by photos or videos include damage to the vehicles involved in the crash, any skid marks left on the road, any visual obstructions, the traffic controls at the scene, and the weather, lighting, and traffic conditions at the time of the accident. Anyone who was injured in the accident should also photograph their visible injuries.
Traffic or security camera footage
Video footage of the accident itself could have been caught by traffic cameras, surveillance cameras, or dashcams, and can provide important documentary evidence.
Police accident reports
If law enforcement is summoned to the scene of the accident, an officer will prepare an official police accident report. The report will contain important information including evidence that the officer collected, summaries of witness statements, a diagram of the accident scene, whether any drivers were cited or arrested for the accident, and, in some cases, the officer’s opinion about who caused the crash. Although an officer’s determination of fault is not binding, it often has a persuasive effect on the insurance companies as they try to determine fault for the crash.
Vehicle inspection/repair reports
After an accident, the vehicles that were involved are often inspected by mechanics, who may uncover mechanical failures that led to the collision.
Eyewitness statements
Third-party eyewitnesses can provide a neutral, objective perspective on what happened in the accident, such as whether a driver ran a red light or changed lanes before signaling.
Medical records
Records detailing injuries and treatment can provide important context about an accident, as some injuries might only have occurred if the accident happened in a particular way.
Bills, invoices, receipts, pay stubs, and other financial documents
Victims of car accidents need to establish what losses they have suffered in order to determine a compensation award. Injured parties should keep copies of bills, receipts, invoices, paystubs/W-2s, or tax returns. Injured parties may also want to start a journal to document their recovery from their injuries, which can support an award of compensation for pain and suffering or lost quality of life.
Interrogatories and depositions
Once a lawsuit is filed in a car accident claim, the parties in the case can send each other interrogatories: questions that each party must answer under oath. Parties can also depose one another as well as other witnesses to the accident and any experts hired by the parties to provide a technical opinion on the case.
Contact a Virginia Beach Car Accident Attorney
If you have been injured in a car accident in Virginia Beach, contact Deering Hedrick today for a free, no-obligation consultation. We’ll be ready to stand up and fight for you.
