At Accident Law Group, we know how vital your car accident claim is to you and want to help you receive compensation after you have suffered financially and emotionally. One of the most important parts of your car accident is discovering who was liable for your accident so that you can move forward with your case against another party. But what happens when liability is not as clear as expected in your case? You may rely on witnesses in your case, except this is not as easy as it always seems.
When you are involved in a car accident, you will want to receive the names, addresses, and phone numbers of any witnesses in your accident. Witnesses are usually the best aspects to have when you want to prove an accident happened the way you said it did. How do you know that a witness is actually credible? What if a witness is biased because they are friends or family with the person involved in the accident? There are many ways to prove a witness credible in an accident.
Who Makes a Poor Witness?
There are many ways that make a witness biased or not as credible. Witnesses who are not credible include some of the following:
- Those who have a stake in your claim
- Those who know you on a personal level
- Those who suffer from hearing, eyesight, or memory complications
- Those who didn’t witness every aspect of the accident
- Those whose accounts on the accident are inconsistent with past testimony or statements given
- Those who have extensive criminal histories
- Those who gave testimony on events that were not plausible
- The demeanor and attitude of the witness overall
Are the Witnesses Credible in my Case?
So, what makes a witness credible? Witnesses may be considered credible if they meet these specific requirements:
- They do not know you or the other party
- They witnessed the accident in entirety
- They were not distracted at the time of the accident
- They are in good physical health, which means their memory and eyesight is precise
Witnesses are essential in many cases because they can give more than just their testimony. They may have also captured certain things on video, such as a party admitting fault in front of the other. They may have also seen a driver drinking while driving, and be able to point the police in the right direction. Even so, the other party’s attorney may try to attack the credibility of the witness. If they have made any type of inconsistent statement, it will be brought up. If they admit that they didn’t see the accident happen until finish, they may not be considered as credible as thought. This is why, in your car accident case, you should have more than just witness testimony to prove your claim – from physical evidence like your own photographs or videos, or police reports when the police have been called to the scene of the accident.
When you have been injured in an accident, you should always try to utilize statements from witnesses as much as you can. Witnesses, alongside other areas of evidence, can be vital in these cases and lead to the best results. However, you should also have an experienced attorney on your side when you are seeking compensation from a serious car accident. Call us today at the Accident Law Group for more information on how we can help, at 602-262-4254.
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