If you intend to file a car accident claim, you’ll have to prove liability, causation, and damages for your case to have a chance of yielding a settlement or verdict. While every case is undeniably unique, achieving a successful outcome will likely call for at least some of the following pieces of evidence:
1. The Official Police Report
After leaving the scene, the responding officers should have drafted an official report. This document will include their initial impressions of all those who were involved in the wreck.
If they had reason to believe one of the other motorists was drunk, drowsy, or distracted, for example, they should have noted as much in their report. Any such observations can contribute to your legal team’s investigation.
2. Eyewitness Deposition
Statements from motorists, passengers, or pedestrians who saw the accident may corroborate your own telling of events. If you managed to get the contact information of any eyewitnesses before leaving the scene, give it to your legal team. They can reach out to each eyewitness while the details are still fresh in their minds.
If you were unable to get the names and phone numbers of eyewitnesses immediately following the wreck, you may be able to find such information on the police report.
3. Video Footage
Dash cameras have become fairly affordable in recent years, making them relatively ubiquitous. In other words, there’s a good chance the incident was captured by at least one camera in the vicinity.
If the collision occurred in a really developed area, it may have also been captured by one or more surveillance systems. You’ll want to reach out to the owners of any such footage right away, though, as they’re under no obligation to preserve it. Your attorney can visit the scene and try to obtain surveillance footage on your behalf.
4. Medical Records
Assuming you visited a doctor immediately following the accident, your medical records should help prove both causation and damages. Such records might include diagnostic images, hospital logs, prescriptions, and mental health evaluations. Photographs of any visible wounds can also contribute to your claim.
5. Journal Entries
South Carolina law sometimes allows for the recovery of non-economic damages, which encompass losses like mental anguish, psychological trauma, and pain and suffering. Since such losses won’t have any corresponding receipts or invoices, the easiest way to track them is by keeping a personal injury journal.
Detailed entries about the ways in which your condition is hurting your quality of life—and perhaps even affecting that of your loved ones—could be valuable when it comes time to demonstrate the extent of your non-economic damages.
Discuss Your Case with a Car Accident Lawyer in South Carolina
At Hodge & Langley Law Firm, we are committed to helping injured parties make their lives whole again. When you turn to our team for representation, you can count on getting the personalized attention of a small firm coupled with the resources and experience of a large practice. Call 864-585-3873 or fill out our Contact Form to schedule a free consultation with a car accident attorney.