If you have been injured in a car accident, the immediate aftermath can be confusing and disorienting, and depending on the severity of your injuries, you may be able to focus on little else. In many cases, getting medical attention should be your top priority, but if you believe another driver was responsible for the accident, your immediate next step should be to hire an attorney who can help you collect evidence and prepare for a personal injury lawsuit to pursue compensation for your damages.
Demonstrating Negligence in a Personal Injury Case
In a personal injury case, it may be possible to obtain compensation through either a settlement with the liable parties or a trial verdict, but in either case, it is important that you have sufficient evidence to demonstrate the other parties’ negligence. This means you can show that a driver breached their duty of care to you, which in a car accident case often means they were driving carelessly or dangerously, and that their breach of duty caused the car accident, resulting in your injuries and damages.
Forms of Evidence in a Wisconsin Car Accident Case
A wide variety of evidence can be used to demonstrate another party’s negligence in a car accident. Our attorneys can help you collect and preserve this information, ensuring that you will be able to hold a negligent driver responsible for your injuries. Some common examples of evidence in auto accident cases include:
- Photographs of your injuries: It is important to take pictures of your injuries as soon as possible after the accident, preferably before receiving treatment, as well as throughout the treatment and recovery process. This can help you establish the extent of your injuries and their lasting effects.
- Photographs of the accident scene: Pictures of the vehicles involved in the accident, the road, and other features of the surrounding environment may help you demonstrate another party’s negligent driving and establish that the accident caused the injuries you suffered.
- Video footage of the accident: Footage from security cameras and dashcams showing the accident and the situation leading to it can be crucial in demonstrating a driver’s negligent behavior.
- Police and emergency service records: Police reports and blood alcohol concentration test results can provide valuable evidence regarding factors contributing to the accident, and 911 call transcripts can provide important details from soon after the accident occurred.
- Witness testimony: Identifying eyewitnesses and collecting their testimony as soon as possible can also help you establish the circumstances surrounding the accident, and expert testimony can help establish causation.
- Business records: In the case of third-party liability, like a trucking company encouraging a driver’s negligent behavior or a bar contributing to a driver’s intoxication, an attorney can help you gather evidence from a business to provide additional context for the accident.
- Reports of expert witnesses, including, when appropriate, doctors, dentists, vocational consultants, accountants, accident reconstruction engineers, or others who can assist in proving fault for the accident or the extent of the damages.
Contact an Appleton Personal Injury Attorney
The sooner you contact an attorney at [[title]], the sooner we can help you collect and preserve evidence to give you a better chance at receiving the full compensation you deserve. Call a Green Bay car accident lawyer today at 920-739-7366 to request a free consultation.
Source:
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/805/12