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Gathering Information After an Automobile Accident

By Peters & Nolan, LLC on February 5, 2022

Navigating the apps within your smart phone or texting while driving is reckless when behind the wheel of a vehicle. If you do get in an accident, your smartphone is the most useful tool you have at your disposal. Taking pictures after an accident will help protect your legal rights and substantiate the evidence for your claim. Photos cannot only show the damage caused, but in some cases the right images can prove how the accident occurred. You should try to take as many pictures as possible after a car accident.

The Pictures You Should Take After an Accident

If you do not take pictures of the aftermath of an accident, the insurance companies could dispute that you were actually the one at fault. They may even claim the accident did not happen the way you remember it. Photographic evidence is critical. The pictures you take should depict:

• The scene of the accident
• Damages to the vehicles and other property
• Your injuries
• The other driver and their information
• The weather and road conditions
• Any witnesses and their information
• The responding officer and their badge number

There is no such thing as too many pictures of a collision. The more thorough you can be the better. The right pictures in the right Colorado car accident attorney’s hands will be the evidence needed to back up your claim.

Talk to Witnesses

If you are able, you should take down the names and contact information of any passerby or pedestrian who witnessed the accident. Your attorney will want to contact the people who saw the collision about giving a testimony. They may have seen the other driver’s actions you did not see that led to the accident. A neutral party witness can make or break your accident claim. An experienced automobile accident lawyer will utilize any witness testimonies available to corroborate your story and enable you to recover damages.

Seek Medical Care

Accidents happen. If you have been in an automobile accident hopefully your injuries are minimal. Even if they are, you should always get checked out by a medical professional immediately after, and possibly again in the days after, a collision. Some injuries take their time to surface- like a bruise. Medical bills, records and prescription receipts will establish a timeline of when and where you were treated after you got hurt. Medical treatment is helpful evidence of damages. Your attorney will use this paper trail to establish your personal injury claim.

Get a Copy of the Police Report

The police should always be called in the wake of an auto accident. They will survey the scene, investigate the damages, and interview any witnesses. Their report will clearly depict the pertinent details of the accident and deduce who they believe caused the collision. It is their job to prepare an official report. It is your right to procure a copy of that report.

Speak with an Experienced Car Accident Attorney

Before you talk to any insurance adjusters you should speak with an experienced Colorado car accident attorney. A lawyer will be well versed in how insurance companies approve and deny claims. At Peters & Nolan, LLC, we will help you organize the evidence to substantiate your claim. We are skilled in the art of negotiation and our first priority is our clients’ well-being. We are ready and willing to get to work.

Call our office to consult with a knowledgeable, dedicated legal advocate at (970) 243-4357.