Gathering evidence that can support your compensation claim after a car accident is crucial. So, where do you begin?
You can start gathering evidence that will strengthen your auto accident claim immediately after the crash occurs. Photograph all injuries, debris, and property damage. Our lawyers can then obtain footage from nearby surveillance cameras to use in your claim. Talk to all eyewitnesses who are at the crash site and ask for their phone numbers and names. We may require their statements to use as evidence in your case. Other information, like police reports, can be useful despite not being admissible evidence in South Carolina car accident claims. You can begin building medical evidence of your injury or injuries right away. Continue to get care for your injuries and collect such evidence as your case progresses.
To get a free case review from Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers, call our South Carolina car accident attorneys now at (803) 451-4000.
Gathering Photographic Evidence in Support of a Car Accident Case in South Carolina
While you can gather many pieces of evidence to reinforce your claim for compensation in South Carolina, we will start by reviewing proof that can provide clear, convincing evidence of fault: photographic evidence.
Victims can gather some photographic evidence themselves immediately after a collision takes place. They can photograph their injuries and the fallout of an accident. Photograph the damage to your vehicle and the damage to the negligent driver’s vehicle. While taking pictures of your injuries might be difficult, especially if they are severe, doing this is important. If you have difficulty achieving this yourself, you can ask eyewitnesses and first responders to help you.
Other photographic evidence can be recovered by our lawyers in the days following your incident in South Carolina. For example, we can obtain surveillance footage or relevant images from traffic cameras in the area. We can also contact eyewitnesses who might have taken their own videos or photos of your crash using their smartphones.
Gathering Witness Statements to Strengthen a South Carolina Car Accident Claim
When an eyewitness can confirm how another driver acted negligently, a victim’s claim for compensation can become even more legitimate. Other witness statements can also be especially useful in injury claims.
If you are able, speak to all eyewitnesses of your accident in South Carolina. Ask for their names and phone numbers and inform them that our lawyers may reach out to get their statements in the following days.
In addition to getting eyewitness statements, we might also get statements from experts. Depending on the situation, police officers might be asked to testify about what they witnessed at an accident scene. Others, like medical or engineering experts, can use their experience to provide additional clarity and context to your auto accident lawsuit in South Carolina.
Gathering Incident Reports to Help a Car Accident Lawsuit in South Carolina
Police reports for auto accidents are not admissible in auto accident lawsuits in South Carolina. That does not mean, however, that police reports cannot help your case.
Always call the police after a car crash in South Carolina. Although we cannot submit the accident report officers complete as evidence in your case, we can use it to learn important details about the accident, such as its location, date, and time. Police reports can also point to potential causes of a crash, making these documents invaluable to our Orangeburg, SC car accident attorneys, especially in the beginning stages of a case.
To get the police report for a recent collision, victims can get in touch with the law enforcement department that responded to the accident scene. Victims might also obtain these reports by going online to the state-wide collision report portal set up by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles. If, after reviewing the police report, we find inaccuracies that might harm your case, we will inform the necessary law enforcement department.
Medical Evidence that Will Support an Auto Accident Case in South Carolina
Whenever a victim is seeking compensation for an injury, they must prove they have, in fact, sustained an injury. This is accomplished through medical evidence.
Gathering medical evidence to support your auto accident case in South Carolina begins with accepting care from emergency medical personnel and going from the accident location to the nearest hospital. While it is normal for victims to be concerned about the cost of treatment, such costs should be compensable in a lawsuit.
From there, our Sumter, SC car accident attorneys will advise you to get continuous medical attention for whatever injuries you have sustained. This can result in a wealth of medical evidence that proves your need for compensation. In addition to getting care, you should provide our lawyers with any and all bills you receive during the course of your treatment. This will allow us to pinpoint your deserved economic damages.
Why Do You Need to Gather Evidence to Support Your South Carolina Car Accident Case?
Knowing that another party caused your injuries is not enough to recover compensation in South Carolina. Instead, you must meet the burden of proof in your case.
In all injury claims in South Carolina, the burden is on the plaintiff to prove that it is more likely than not that the defendant caused their injuries. This is why focusing on gathering evidence immediately after an auto accident takes place is crucial.
While the burden of proof in civil claims is lower than what victims might expect, it can still be challenging to meet. And, if the burden of proof is not met, a victim will be unable to recover compensation against a negligent driver.
Call Our South Carolina Lawyers to Discuss Your Recent Crash
To have Burriss Ridgeway Injury Lawyers analyze your case for free, call our Columbia, SC car accident attorneys now at (803) 451-4000.
