By: Matthew Tievsky
The best time to gather evidence about how an
auto accident happened, is immediately afterward. Even if the wrongdoer admits they
were at fault at the scene, you would be surprised at how many people
change their story later, when the time comes to take financial responsibility
for the harm they've caused.
And while it's always a good idea to call the police, the police may
not do a thorough job of investigating the accident, especially if there
doesn't
seem to be a lot of damage to the vehicles, or injuries to the persons involved
in the accident. It pays dividends to do your own investigation after
an auto accident (if you're feeling well enough to do so).
Probably the three best forms of evidence you can get are:
- Talk to the wrongdoer. We don't recommend that you pick a fight, but
if they are willing to say what happened – and even better, if they're
willing to admit fault while the accident is still fresh – they
are less likely to invent a new story later.
- Get the contact info of witnesses. This is the most critical, because a
witness who saw the accident is unlikely to change his/her story later.
If you don't get the witness's info now (and the police don't)
then the witness is probably lost forever. If the wrongdoer tries to deny
he/she was at fault, then a witness is probably the most powerful kind
of evidence there is.
- Take photographs of the vehicles – the damage to them, and the position
of the vehicles on the road following the collision. Try to show what
parts of the vehicles contacted each other, and where they were located
on the road. This may help to reconstruct how the accident happened, after the fact.
If you have been in an automobile collision caused by another driver's
negligence, and you need help proving your case, you should
contact the personal injury attorneys at Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C., for a free consultation.