The first 3 or 4 days immediately following any type of accident are the most crucial when it comes to gathering evidence of what transpired and documenting the nature and extent of your injuries. As soon as you have received medical attention and are physically able to do this, it can go a long way to building a strong case for your personal injury claim (and lawsuit if that becomes necessary. Therefore, it’s critical that you take the following steps:
• Document your injuries – the most efficient and effective way to provide evidence of your injuries is by filling out a police report and getting medical attention. A medical report may be required to prove to the insurance companies that you were injured to the extent you claimed to be. Visible injuries won’t look as serious after they’ve had time to start healing. This could cause the insurance company to say that you fabricated or overemphasized the severity of your injuries.
• Locate as many witnesses as possible – witnesses are valuable assets when you’re attempting to make your case to an insurer. A witness can describe the sequence of events in such a way that backs up your statement and may be able to contribute more information showing how the other party involved is truly at fault in the matter. Time is even more critical when it comes to finding witnesses because their ability to retain any memories of the accident is weaker since they weren’t directly involved.
• Protect all physical evidence – in most cases, it is a specific piece of evidence – such as an item that can be felt or touched instead of a description that’s been written down – that will ultimately help determine which party is at fault. Physical evidence can also go a long way towards proving the full extent of your injuries. For example, the damage to your vehicle can help prove the seriousness of the accident and how it occurred.
• Return to the scene of the accident – if your accident occurred away from your home, it’s important that you return to the scene immediately. This will enable you to gather and/or document any pertinent evidence and take pictures of anything that might be relevant to your personal injury claim. There might be something you didn’t notice or see that could have affected the event. Anything relevant that you see or find should be collected in clean plastic bags so that the evidence is not contaminated.
To ensure that your rights are protected and you receive the maximum compensation allowed by law, you should consult with a personal injury lawyer in Richmond Hill, regarding your case.