Understanding Personal Injury Law

Three Tips For Victims Of Auto Accidents

8 June 2016

Celina Nichols

Being involved in a car accident can result in you suffering catastrophic physical and financial damages. While victims in these cases have the right to pursue damages against the party responsible, you may not understand the steps that you should take to help preserve the strength of your case if a lawsuit becomes unavoidable. To this end, you may want to keep the following three tips in mind after you have experienced an auto accident.

Take Photos Of Any Damages And Injuries

Your medical records may document the extent of your injuries, but photographs may help a jury to better understand the extent of your injuries and the pain that you experienced as a result of the accident. For this reason, you should make sure to take photographs of any injuries that you sustained as soon as you are able. Use a camera that dates photographs for this task so that it is clear that the pictures correspond to the injuries in your medical records.

Additionally, you will want to take photographs of any damage that your vehicle suffered. The type and severity of the damage to your car can help to prove the events of the accident, which can frustrate the defense's efforts to deny liability or the severity of the damages your vehicle sustained.

Keep Records Of Any Costs That Related To The Accident

Over the course of your recovery from the accident, you will likely have to pay for a number of expenses, and you should retain copies of any bills that you receive as a result of either seeking treatment or having repairs made. In addition to these major expenses, you should also keep records of any fuel costs for seeking treatment, co-pays and missed wages that resulted from the incident. This will be essential for proving your financial losses, which will play a role in determining the compensation awarded.

Avoid Answering Questions From The Other Party's Insurance

Shortly after the accident, the other party's insurance will likely contact you to obtain a statement and to ask you questions about the accident. While it may seem harmless to speak with these professionals, these individuals are trained to attempt to get you to admit blame or partial blame for the accident. Once you admit partial blame, your ability to successfully pursue damages may be compromised. For this reason, you should make sure to refer any questions from these individuals to your attorney. Your attorney, like one from Scherline And Associates, will ensure that you understand the meaning of the questions before you answer, which can help you to avoid accidentally providing an inaccurate answer.

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