Recovering from a car accident requires your lawyer to have the right information. Here are car accident documents to have when meeting your lawyer.
Keyword(s): car accident documents
About six million vehicle accidents happen in the United States every year.
A car accident can be a scary experience. After an accident, you may be overwhelmed by the car insurance claims process and not know where to begin. A car accident can adversely impact your car, your health, and your finances.
You may need a car accident lawyer to help you get through this difficult time. However, your claim will only succeed if your lawyer can prove that you deserve compensation for the losses incurred.
Having car accident documents to show your car accident lawyer will help the car insurance claims process run more smoothly.
But what are the documents car accident lawyers need? This article will show car accident documents car accident lawyers want to see.
1. Police Report
Having a copy of the police report will help your car accident lawyer prove an accident and who was at fault.
Police reports are created following all vehicle accidents. The police officer who arrives at the scene will document everything he sees, hears, and experiences. This includes statements by the injured person, driver, witnesses, etcetera.
This information will be crucial when filing for a personal injury claim. You can get a copy of this report after the police are through with their assessment of the accident.
Also, make sure that the report bears the name and badge number of the police officer who wrote it.
Your lawyer will build a case based on some of the information recorded by the police. In case you're unable to get this report, your lawyer can get it for you.
2. Show Medical Records
The severity of your injuries can help determine how much compensation you'll receive from the insurance company.
Your lawyer will need to document all of your injuries, and a medical report is what they need for this purpose.
Medical reports should show that the patient has sustained injuries due to an accident. Your medical professional will record information about the type and extent of your injuries on the form. The report will also include the patient's description of their experience in words or drawings when appropriate.
The medical records should cover the entire treatment journey, from the diagnosis to any prescriptions.
This report helps prove that an injury happened because of negligence or recklessness of another party. You should give a copy of this car accident injury report to your lawyer so they can help you get the compensation you deserve.
3. Photos and Videos
There's no better proof than visual evidence. Pictures tell a thousand words, and they can help your lawyer make a strong case for you.
You may not be able to remember everything that happened at the scene of the accident. But you can get a visual idea from photographs taken on that day by either you or witnesses.
Photos showing the damage done to the vehicles will help prove negligence on the part of the person responsible for that damage. If possible, video footage should also be taken as it may reveal vital information about how an accident took place.
A dashboard camera in your car may show whether the other party was speeding or if they were violating any traffic rules.
4. Statement From Witnesses
Witnesses are crucial when trying to claim compensation. They're in a position to confirm or deny your lawyer's story, so make sure they're prepared for the task ahead.
The witnesses' statements can include them saying that you were driving carefully before the accident from their point of view. It also includes their accounts of how the accident occurred.
Witnesses should then be asked about what injuries they noticed on the injured party after the incident. By having these statements, your lawyer will have no trouble making an argument for your personal injury claim.
Make sure the statements contain witnesses' names and contact information. You may need to call the witnesses later to get further statements when your lawyer needs them.
Expert witnesses should also be consulted to give their opinion on the accident. This can include doctors who will talk about your injuries and how they could have happened.
5. Estimates of Vehicle Damage
Your car insurance policy might pay for repairs if your vehicle was damaged during the accident.
They'll send a mechanic to inspect the damage and give you an estimate of how much it will cost them to fix it. If there's more damage to your vehicle than what you agreed in the policy, you are entitled to receive compensation from the other party driver's insurer.
A claim can be filed with the insurance company that covers their actions through a process called subrogation. Thus, estimating the cost of repairs is very important so as not to lose any possible compensation.
6. Proof of Policy Payments
When claiming compensation for car accident injuries, you'll need to show that you're covered by insurance. Your provider is required to send proof of policy payments to your lawyer.
In some cases, the other party may deny responsibility and claim that you, in fact, had no valid insurance policy at the time of the crash. That means you have no right to receive any benefits or compensation from them.
This will require your policy provider to submit proof of how much you have paid towards your policy's renewal over a specific period of time. If possible, they can also submit an official letter signed by their executives confirming this.
If the other party claims that you did not have valid insurance cover, it's your responsibility to show evidence clearly stating otherwise. And this is where proof of renewal payments comes in handy. This will help your lawyer build a strong compensation case, so you don't have to go through the stress and hassle of providing additional evidence.
Car Accident Documents To Prove Your Car Accident Case
These car accident documents to have when meeting your lawyer can help prove that you deserve compensation. They can definitely mean the difference between getting compensation and being left empty-handed after an unfortunate car accident.
If you need legal case consulting for your car accident injury claim, the Auto Accident Pain Relief Center of Illinois is here to help you.
We have a team of experienced chiropractic professionals who specialize in auto accident pain relief and rehabilitation.
Call us today to find out how we can help you win your accident claim case.
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