Posted on March 10, 2018

After you have been injured in a car accident, you may feel helpless. You may wonder if you will ever be able to move forward, especially if your injuries are permanent or will be keeping you out of work on a temporary basis. You know that, no matter what, you may not have the compensation necessary to pay for your medical bills and help you in many other aspects of your life. This is why you want to have every bit of evidence that could help your claim every step of the way. You may wonder how witnesses can help you after you have been injured in a car accident. We are here to explain why witnesses can help when it comes to your personal injury claim.

What You Should Ask a Witness 

When you speak to witnesses, you want to know everything. If you speak to a witness and take down important information, but you never find out their contact information, they can’t help you out later on down the road when you’re making your claim for compensation after your accident. When you speak to witnesses, this is why it is important to have information such as:

  • The name of the witness
  • Their address
  • An email
  • A phone number
  • An account of what happened, which should detail exactly what they saw from start to finish with no missing pieces, if possible
  • Observations they noticed regarding the other driver

witnesses can help How does information like this help you when it comes to your claim? If the witness saw the accident happen from start to finish, the cards may be in your favor – especially if multiple people saw the same thing. Perhaps your witnesses saw the other driver pull out in front of you without looking both ways or stopping at the stop sign. It would be obvious that the other driver was acting negligently. They may have observed the other driver swerving all over the road, and when the police look further into the accident, they may discover that the driver is actually intoxicated. This information can be useful in your case because, if another driver acted recklessly and this can be proven, they could be liable for your damages in full.

There are many other types of effective evidence that can be used in car accident claims to back up your case and show that a driver was acting negligently. Some of these things include police accident reports, visible property damage through photographs, medical records and bills, and statements from the drivers and passengers involved. Anyone of these things can help guide your claim in the right direction!

Why Witness Credibility Matters 

However, there is one thing that you should know: Your witnesses should always be credible sources if you’re planning on using their statements in court to receive the compensation you believe you are entitled to. There are a few factors that affect credibility. For instance, is your witness somebody who has an extensive criminal record and is known not to tell the truth? Were they able to see the accident from start to finish without any interruption? Is the witness a friend or family member to you or the driver of the other vehicle? Does the witness have proper eyesight and was able to see the accident happen?

No matter what, you should always have an attorney on your side to determine what is best for your claim and moving forward. We want to help you every step of the way at the Accident Law Group, where your case means everything to us. Call us as soon as possible to get started at 602-262-4254.

Sources

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-witness-credibility-affects-car-accident-claim.html