Evidence That Must Be Collected Right After a Car Crash

 Posted on June 22, 2022 in Car Accident

After a car accident, you may not feel up to tackling the legal side of the aftermath right away. You probably want to rest and recover. You may even still be in the hospital if your injuries were very serious. However, there are certain types of evidence that need to be collected promptly. That is where a good lawyer comes in. An attorney can take over the process of investigating and collecting evidence very quickly. It is important that you do not wait too long to get in touch with a lawyer. Some physical evidence at the crash scene may be cleaned up or washed away by the weather very quickly. Other evidence, like witness reports, tend to rapidly diminish in quality and reliability. Ideally, you should make the call to a law firm like Hoggatt Law Office, P.C. on the day of the accident if you are able to. 

What Time-Sensitive Evidence Needs to Be Preserved Quickly?

Some types of evidence will still be available a week later. If your vehicle was totaled, there may not be a huge rush to go document all the damage. For other types of evidence, the window to preserve it is much shorter. Types of time-sensitive evidence that need to be gathered quickly after a car accident include: 

• Debris - Debris from a car accident is likely to be removed from the road in a hurry. Being able to prove where the defendant’s bumper landed in relation to where pieces of your broken windshield wound up could be important in proving whose fault the accident was. The sooner someone gets to the crash site the better. 

• Defendant’s vehicle - If the responsible driver’s vehicle is not beyond repair, odds are they will begin making repairs fairly quickly. Once repairs have begun, it might be difficult to obtain evidence showing the exact damage their vehicle sustained, which can help show where and how hard they hit you. 

• Witness statements - People tend to rapidly start forgetting details that could become important later after witnessing a car crash. Even a few days after the accident, some people who saw everything might not remember everything. It is important to get detailed witness statements as soon as possible while their memory is fresh. 

• Police report - If the police are not called to the scene immediately, they cannot perform their role in investigating and writing a report. Police reports are typically seen as very credible in court. You do not want to have to answer questions like, “If the accident was not your fault, why did you not call the police right away?”

The sooner an attorney can start collecting evidence, the more strong evidence is likely to exist. 

Talk to a Larimer County Car Accident Attorney Now

Hoggatt Law Office, P.C. is always ready to begin collecting crucial evidence shortly after a car accident. Our dedicated Ft. Collins car accident lawyers are skilled at conducting complete investigations to turn up all possible evidence. Contact us at 970-225-2190 or online for a free consultation. 

Source: https://www.arrivealive.mobi/collecting-evidence-from-the-scene-of-a-road-crash