What If I Am Too Injured To Collect Evidence After An Accident?
Michael Babboni
Car Accidents
After a person has been in an accident in the St. Petersburg area, they will ideally begin collecting evidence straight away. They’ll take photos of skid marks on the road and the overall accident scene, they’ll save photos of the damage done to their vehicle and take photos of their injuries immediately after the fact. If they’ve been in a slip and fall accident, they may take photos of the hazard that caused their fall. In either instance, they will talk with witnesses and take down contact information for a later date.This information is crucial to an accident or personal injury case. This is the information that your entire case will be based on, and how you’ll prove your injuries to the other party’s insurance provider. Without this evidence, you may not have a case to stand on. However, what happens if you’re too injured to collect evidence yourself?
Not all auto accidents or slip and falls leave a person still up, walking, and conscious. Sometimes the most important thing is to get medical attention straight away. Do you just lose those ever-important moments for collecting evidence immediately following an accident? With the help of an experience and skilled St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer, you don’t have to.
Medical Attention Is The Most Important
It’s important to note that seeking medical attention should always be the top priority. As a matter of fact, failing to seek medical attention or failing to prioritize your health can hurt your case even if you’re only collecting evidence. If you’re able to take photos, talk to witnesses, and assess the damage of your vehicle you may do so, but never push yourself to collect evidence if it only risks further injury.
If anyone at the accident scene asks if you’re injured, it pays to refrain from answering unless that individual is a police officer or first responder on the scene. If another driver asks how you’re feeling, and in a passing moment you say that you’re feeling okay, this can come back to hurt you later even if the pain takes a little while to set in. Only two parties should be given information on how you’re feeling and that is emergency services or your St. Petersburg personal injury lawyer.
How To Collect Evidence After You’ve Recovered
If you’re unable to collect evidence at the time of the accident, all hope is not lost. A few ways to do this are:
• Take photos of your damaged vehicle – You should still be able to take photos of your damaged vehicle even if it’s a few days after the accident. Talking to local authorities, you’ll be able to find where your vehicle was brought if it needed to be towed from the scene, and you can take useful quality photos there when you’re well enough to do so.
• Take photos of the accident scene – While you may not still have skid marks or identical road conditions, you can still take photos of signage, curves in the road, or other obstacles that may have contributed to the accident. Make sure to return to the accident scene at a safe time and to remain safe while collecting photographs.
• Obtain police reports – If the police were present at your accident scene, they will have likely drawn up a police report detailing an unbiased account of the entire accident. This is invaluable information and can be obtained easily by calling, emailing, or contacting the local reporting police department in person.
• Take photos while in hospital – If you’re able to take photos while at the hospital after being checked out by a medical team, these images will be just as useful as images taken at the scene of the accident. Along with your medical records, it shows an accurate piece of proof regarding your injuries.