The first few days following an incident where you sustained injuries are very important when it comes to finding and preserving evidence of what happened to cause your injuries. If at all possible, it’s very important that you take the following steps to make sure your personal injury claim is solid for your personal injury lawyer Toronto to be able to have a successful case and get you the compensation you deserve.
Go Back to the Scene
If at all possible, you should make a trip back to the area where the accident happened. Try to find evidence that can help you claim and document that evidence with photographs. You may be surprised to find something that was not obvious right after the accident happened, such as a worn spot in the area you tripped and fell, or a road sign that is difficult to see because of low-hanging branches.
When taking photographs, shoot from a variety of positions, especially documenting how you saw the area right before the accident. It’s best to take photographs at the scene the same time your accident occurred so the lighting is still the same and it shows the approximate flow of traffic at that precise time.
Physical Evidence Protection
Sometimes establishing fault in an accident is done by a physical piece of evidence, not a brief description of the evidence. A dent in a car to show how a car was it or a piece of rug that was torn in a carpet are perfect examples.
Physical evidence can sometimes prove how extreme your injury was. The damage to a car can prove how hard the impact was, or the condition of your clothing can show the extremity of the injuries sustained. Try to preserve as much physical evidence as you can. If it’s impossible to protect the evidence, take as many photographs of the evidence as you can.
Taking Photographs
Here are some tips on how to take good photographs in order to best show crucial evidence:
Don’t use Polaroids. Regular photos show better detail and more accurately reflect the light conditions.
Different angles. Taking a few different photos from a number of views to allow you to choose the photos that clearly show your evidence and the scene as it was during the time of the accident.
Take photos quickly. You want to show the conditions of the accident scene as they were at the time of the accident. Waiting a week or so could result in different conditions that don’t accurately represent what the area looked like when you were injured.
Witnesses
Another important piece of the puzzle is the witnesses that can be extremely valuable to you in making your case against the insurance company. Witnesses may be able to describe things about the accident that will back up your story. Also, witnesses can provide some crucial information you may not have been aware of, or they can confirm the pain and discomfort you seemed to be in immediately following the accident.
Injury Documentation
Lastly, you’ll want to have documentation that accurately describes your injuries. Promptly see a doctor and provide him with as much information regarding your symptoms and issues that you’re having. Without early medical treatment, and/or photos to document your injury, it may be difficult for you to prove to the insurance company that the injuries you sustained were serious. Otherwise, the insurance company may believe that you’ve exaggerated or invented your injuries after the accident.
Personal injury claims can be difficult to prove if you don’t have ample and accurate evidence to back up your claim. Contact your personal injury lawyer for help in gathering evidence in order to ensure success with your claim.