What Evidence Do You Need After a Car Accident?

To file an insurance claim or pursue a lawsuit after a car accident, certain pieces of evidence will be significantly important to your case’s outcome. The types of proof that you must preserve to build a solid case and protect your right to compensation include the following.

Photo and Video Evidence

One of the best ways to document your car accident is taking pictures and/or video footage. lf you are physically able to remain at the scene, try to capture the following:

• The damage to all cars involved
• The final position of the vehicles after the collision
• Property damage to the surrounding area
• Road conditions
• Weather conditions
• Skid marks
• Road signs and/or traffic lights
• Your injuries

Having this type of evidence can help corroborate your version about what happened during an accident, as well as who was at fault. Be sure to take photos or videos from different angles and at varying distances in order for them to be helpful. Photos and videos can contain evidence of fault. For example, they may help establish:

• The distance from the collision to a traffic sign or signal
• The direction from which you were hit
• How fast the vehicles were traveling at the time of impact
• Whether there was debris in the roadway
• Skid marks that indicate braking, etc.

If you are immediately transported to a hospital, ask a passenger, family member, friend, or hire a St. Louis car accident attorney to collect this evidence for you.

Police Report

It is imperative that the police are called to the scene of an accident to document your account of events. A report will be created that includes information on who the parties are that were involved, each driver or passenger’s statement, eyewitness statements, whether arrests or citations were made, and the opinion of the officer on how and why the collision occurred. The report may also contain a diagram of the scene and details on the extent of your injuries and damage.

Whether it is the at-fault driver’s or your insurance company, a claims adjuster will review the police report to confirm you were involved in an accident, how long you waited to file a claim and to help with their decision on fault. The police report can significantly influence an adjuster’s decision.

Witness Statements

A witness’s honest account of exactly what they saw can demonstrate your lack of fault. If you remain at the scene, ask them if they can make a brief recorded statement on your phone. Be sure to get their contact information in case the insurance adjuster or your attorney needs to speak to them.

Medical Records

Medical documentation on your injuries is critical to proving that they’re the result of your accident. In addition, it’s imperative you keep track and follow through with any treatments prescribed by doctors. Doing so will provide more insight into the severity of your injuries, how your life has been impacted since then, and whether there were long-term effects.