One of the first things you will be told when you schedule a free case review with a Cincinnati personal injury lawyer is to bring all available evidence with you. Without solid proof, your side of the story is not enough to win your insurance claim settlement.
Unfortunately, many claimants with a potentially strong case do not get a fair settlement because they do not know how to collect and preserve valuable evidence after their personal injury accident. Here are the best practices recommended by our attorneys.
1. Take Detailed Photos of the Entire Accident Scene
Whether you suffered a car crash or a slip and fall at a supermarket, one of the first things to do is to document the accident scene. This does not mean only the immediate area where you suffered the injury, but also a larger area around it.
To make your case stronger, make sure to set your camera or mobile phone to add the watermark of the date and time to photos and videos. This will help your lawyer prove the moment when the accident occurred.
2. Get Eyewitnesses’ Statement and Contact Details
Eyewitnesses can offer valuable insights into how your accident happened. Your lawyer can find a lot of useful details from eyewitness statements, which can help prove the other party’s negligence.
However, it is essential to get their story as soon as possible after the accident. People are busy and their memory of the event is soon replaced with more stringent issues. The easiest way of getting this statement without causing inconvenience is recording them as they tell you what they saw.
Finally, do not forget to get their contact details, because your Cincinnati personal injury attorney will need to confirm their statements.
3. Take Note of Nearby Traffic Cameras or CCTV Cameras
Videos capturing the accident are the strongest type of evidence your lawyer can produce. In rare cases, an eyewitness was recording a holiday film and captured the entire event.
In the more common situations, it may be recorded by traffic cameras and CCTV cameras. Thus, you should look for them and inform your lawyer of their existence as soon as possible. Recordings are deleted after a period of time. Thus, your lawyer needs to reach out to the camera owners and obtain these recordings while they are still available.
4. Preserve Your Personal Property Damaged in the Accident
Your clothes, shoes, watch and other personal property damaged in the accident are also useful as evidence in your personal injury case. Do not wash them, fix them, or dispose of them.
Ideally, you should place each item into a sealed Ziploc bag and present them to your lawyer. In case of damaged valuables, this will also help the attorney evaluate the amount for property damage to add to your total economic damages.
5. Keep All Medical Records, Bills and Receipts
Finally, remember that your lawyer must prove that your injuries were caused by the accident and not elsewhere. Also, the attorney needs to justify the amount specified in the demand letter.
For these reasons, you should seek medical care as soon as possible after the personal injury accident and get a copy of the initial medical report. As you continue getting treatment, make sure to keep all the bills and receipts for expenses related to your accident, such as:
- Ambulance ride bill
- Hospital bill
- Receipts for prescription medication and physical therapy appointments
- Estimates for repairing or replacing damaged property
- Weekly pay slips to help the lawyer calculate lost wages.
Consult with an Experienced Cincinnati Personal Injury Attorney!
At 1Ohio, you will get personal attention from an experienced Cincinnati personal injury lawyer, who will listen carefully to your side of the story. We will analyze the available evidence carefully. And, if we believe that you have a strong case, we will represent you on a contingency fee basis.
Don’t wait too long after your accident! Evidence can get lost and you may miss the statute of limitations to file a claim. Call us today at 844-853-7373 to schedule a free case review!
