How Important Is It To Conduct An Accident Scene Investigation?
When you are in a car accident, the police officer responding to the accident does a thorough accident scene investigation to gather and preserve evidence you can use in a personal injury case.
This is a common misconception that can impair your ability to recover full compensation for your injuries, damages, and losses. While a police officer does investigate the accident scene, he is doing so in order to determine if a traffic violation has occurred. This is a criminal investigation in order to issue a traffic ticket.
A personal injury claim is a civil matter. The police report generated by the officer is not evidence because the police officer was not a witness to the collision. He can only make assumptions based on evidence at the accident scene and statement made by witnesses. Therefore, it is vital that an independent accident scene investigation is performed to identify, secure, and preserve key evidence that can prove the other driver was at fault for the collision.
How Does An Accident Scene Investigation Help In A Personal Injury Case?
To recover compensation for injuries sustained in a car accident, you must prove that the other driver caused the collision and you suffered damages as a result of the crash. In order to prove the other driver caused the collision, we need evidence. Examples of evidence we can use in a car accident case include:
- Physical evidence such as skid marks, damaged guard rails, traffic signs, vehicle damage, and bodily damage.
- Eyewitness statements
- Black box information — Most new vehicles and all commercial trucks are equipped with black box recorders that can provide important information about the vehicle and the driver’s actions immediately prior to a collision.
- Medical bills, lost income statements, repair bills, and other evidence of your out-of-pocket losses due to the car accident.
- Expert testimony — In some personal injury cases, we need experts to reconstruct the collision to prove fault, calculate future lost wages and medical expenses, or explain your medical prognosis.
The insurance company for the other driver will be working hard to gather evidence to fight your personal injury claim. These companies have teams of investigators and adjusters who are skilled and experienced in what they do. You need someone working on your behalf to protect your best interests. Our Fresno car accident attorneys can do that for you.
Contact a Fresno Car Accident Attorney For More Information
Our Fresno car accident attorneys do everything possible to build a strong case against the other driver. An important tool in building a personal injury case is the accident scene investigation. The sooner we can begin investigating your car accident, the better we can prepare a strong case against the other driver.
Because an accident scene can change greatly over time, it is vital that we obtain evidence from the scene as soon as possible after the car crash. Documenting the conditions at the time of the collision is important; therefore, do not wait to contact our office.
Torem & Associates at (888) 500-5000. You may also chat with a representative online or use our convenient online contact form to schedule a free consultation.
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