Whether your personal injury case involves a motor vehicle collision, slip and fall, or medical negligence, there are certain types of evidence that you will need to bolster your case. How strong the evidence is will determine the outcome of the case, and can greatly affect the amount of your potential settlement.
Your Roanoke personal injury lawyer will be able to guide you in the types of evidence you will need, but it’s a good idea to save everything you can, take photographs of the scene, and document your injuries, no matter what. You really never know what kind of evidence will be helpful later on as your attorney builds your case.
Here are some of the most common types of evidence used in personal injury cases.
Physical Evidence
If you have suffered an injury in some way, there is typically some physical evidence to collect. Perhaps there is evidence of defective equipment such as bald tires, or maybe a piece of clothing that was shredded during a motorcycle collision. Equipment, tools, vehicle parts, and even weather patterns can produce evidence. Physical evidence is the best kind of evidence, and this includes items, photographs and video recordings.
Scene Evidence
Whether you were in a head-on collision or slipped and fell on someone’s property, evidence gathered at the scene of the incident is extremely valuable. This may include signage, defective parts, or the actual debris that caused your fall. Because evidence is often a part of the scene itself, such as in the case of skid marks after a collision, photographs and videos will have to suffice in these instances.
Witness Statements
If another person on the scene saw what happened, it’s important to talk to them about it right away. Memories have a way of fading with time, so you want to preserve those witness statements fast. Whether a passenger in your car, a pedestrian, a passerby or even fellow shopper who saw you slip on a wet floor, it’s crucial to obtain information from those people.
These statements, which your VA personal injury attorneys can collect and analyze, can strengthen your case and back up the physical evidence you have collected. Witnesses are especially important where no photographic evidence exists.
In addition to witness statements, you will also need to collect basic contact information from them, such as name, address, and phone number. This will help your attorney contact those people later on to corroborate statements.
Injury Documentation
Seeing a doctor or going to the ER after suffering an injury is important because it establishes the event, creates a baseline for your injuries, and, perhaps most importantly, documents those injuries in the form of a physician’s exam, report and photos. This is especially important in a medical negligence case, where you will need to document the treatments you had and where things started to go downhill.
In the end, the evidence you are able to collect and preserve can make or break your personal injury case. The right kind of evidence can certainly add legitimacy to your claim and ensure you and your family are awarded a fair compensation for your injuries. Hiring a personal injury law firm in Southwest Virginia is the first step.
Contact Altizer Law
For more advice on evidence in your case, look to Bettina C. Altizer and her team at Altizer Law for assistance. We would be happy to provide you with a free, no-obligation consultation when you contact us at 540-345-2000.
