Car accidents set everyone on edge, but you can protect yourself from the start. Immediately after a crash, you need to navigate through your scene carefully and closely record everything. A small detail can help you prove fault, show that you did not contribute to a crash, or indicate that there’s no reason for you to have to pay out any compensation. Cleveland car accident lawyers are your best bet to handle any evidence properly. But documenting the scene starts with you. Hopefully, before you were in a crash, you proactively placed a pen and pad of paper in your car. Otherwise, you may need to record specific details on your phone.
The Details of the Crash
The details of the crash include a list of notes and the information of the other driver as well as any witnesses. Documentation can be the difference between the entire claim being one person’s word against another. You will also need this information to file a crash report with the BMV.
You can contribute to that evidence if you take care after your crash to be thorough and to document everything possible. After you collide with another car, a lot is going on, but there is a very clear list of things you need to record.
Always document:
- The driver’s ID number
- Their insurance policy provider and number
- Road conditions
- Time
- Location including the nearest cross-streets
- Any present distractions
- Witnesses
- Speed of your car at the time of impact
- The direction of each car
Some of these aspects are easier to document on paper. For example, many people are more comfortable drawing the direction of each car or how they believe the crash happened. There are times, however, when that’s not possible. If you’re working with your phone, you have another type of advantage, your phone’s camera.
Photograph Documentation
Photo documentation can help protect yourself and support your claim. While it may seem that photo documentation is essential, your insurance company might try to brush you off. Don’t let them ignore your evidence, instead, hand over your photos to an attorney. They will be able to push the importance of your evidence and have a qualified person review them to determine what happened in your crash.
Photo documentation can also help make it easier for you to remember specific details. Take an image of the license plate of each vehicle involved, as well as the location. You may not have initially noticed that your crash left marks along the guardrail or damaged the road. Snap a photo of the other driver’s insurance card rather than writing down all of their information.
What to Expect from a Cleveland Auto Accident Lawyer?
Your photos may be safe on your phone, but what happens if your insurance company doesn’t want them? As mentioned before if they’re trying to rush your claim, they may completely skim over the evidence review process.
A Cleveland auto accident lawyer can help you protect and support your evidence. Not only should your notes and photos be part of your claim, but they should have a substantial amount of weight as well. Your records may help disprove false statements, and they may support the police report.
When working with an attorney, they’ll take charge of the evidence and keep it safe. They’ll also help you gather up any bills or receipts for damages associated with the crash. If you had to have your car towed or repaired, they would keep careful track of that documentation as well.
Finally, when it comes to injuries, you should expect an Ohio car accident lawyer to gather your medical bills even when they are outstanding. In many cases, it is easy to document the crash scene and hard to track and collect the other aspects of documentation that can impact your claim.
Contact an Ohio Crash Attorney
The Ohio Car Accident Lawyers are always available to help the victims of a Cleveland crash. These streets are often loaded with commercial trucks, and people in a hurry. It’s a recipe for disaster. Carefully documenting your scene can be a vital part of your proving your claim and getting a fair payout for your damages.
After you receive an injury during an accident, you should seek help from a crash attorney. They may have a valuable resource such as expert witnesses which can impact the outcome of your case. When you’re looking for fair compensation, don’t stop with your claim to the insurance company. Go a step further and get a car wreck attorney involved.