When you’re involved in an accident, it’s important to gather evidence. This evidence can help your case with insurance companies and the police. It may also help protect you from civil liability if an accident leads to injury or death. Your lawyer will lead the process to find and collect the evidence that you need, but you can make the process easier if you know what to look for ahead of time. Here are some types of evidence that you should gather after a car accident in California.
What Types of Evidence Should You Collect?
Every accident creates some type of evidence as to who is at fault and what actually happened. This evidence is crucial to handling your legal issues after the accident.
There are many types of evidence that can be gathered after an accident. While you may be more focused on recovering and dealing with injuries or other problems, you can collect some information to help you later. Some of the most common types of evidence used in car accident cases include:
- Photos of the scene
- Witness statements
- Medical records
- Police reports
- Insurance reports
- Surveillance camera footage
- Dash cam/rear-view cam footage
These are just some of the types of evidence that might be collected in your case.
How to Gather Evidence
Gathering evidence at the scene of the accident can be difficult, especially if you are injured. One of the best things that you can do to help yourself is to ask others for help. Have someone at the scene take pictures and collect evidence for you if possible. This makes it easier to ensure that you have everything that you need even if you’re occupied in the moments following an accident.
If possible, take photos of physical evidence at the scene before cleaning anything up. Physical evidence holds a lot of weight in court and having accurate evidence can sway the outcome of your legal action.
Testimonial evidence is any statement made by someone who witnessed what happened before, during, or after the crash. This includes any statement about how unsafe conditions may have contributed to the accident and statements about who was at fault for causing it.
In most cases, the police will document much of this evidence for you. Officers often take pictures of the scene, detailed notes, interviews from witnesses, and statements from investigators if available. You can request a copy of the report once it has been entered into the system.
Contact an Auto Accident Lawyer in California
Collecting evidence is an important but often overlooked part of building your case. To make sure that you have everything that you need before you run out of time, discuss your case with a qualified California auto accident lawyer.
The best way to collect evidence is to work directly with your legal team to understand what you need and how to get it. That way, your legal representation can build the best possible case on your behalf. Make sure that you are safe at all times when collecting evidence, especially right after a car accident. Contact Setareh Law at (310) 659-1826 or by filling out the contact form to schedule a free consultation. We also speak Spanish.