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Typical Evidence Used in Personal Injury Cases Proving someone caused your injuries and is legally liable can be very difficult. Before suing someone, you need to confirm that your injuries resulted from their negligent actions. Furthermore, you need to collect compelling evidence and convince an insurance company and possibly a jury. While some evidence will prove liability based on negligence, other evidence can confirm the property’s damages and the injuries you sustained. In effect, the more evidence you have, the greater your chances of winning the case and settling out of court. Following are some types of evidence Los Angeles personal injury lawyers use to win their cases.
Police Reports When police officers show up at accident scenes, they fill out accident reports that summarize accident details and provide the officers’ observed and unbiased opinions. Generally, police reports hold considerable weight, but every once-in-a-while, police officers get the facts wrong. In that case, you may need the assistance of an experienced personal injury lawyer. If injured because of someone’s negligence, contact the Best personal injury attorney Los Angeles for help.
Medical Records Relevant medical records include lab tests, surgical reports and pictures, X-rays, prescribed medications, MRIs, diagnosis and treatment instructions, to name several. They provide the comprehensive details needed to support your injuries.
Juries award compensation based on documented injuries and insurance companies know it. Most insurance companies settle out of court after reviewing the plaintiff’s medical records. Especially if the medical records show extensive injuries and long-term rehabilitation.
Medical Bills Medical bills are another way of showing the extent of injuries and the financial impact it is having. Rehabilitation facilities, hospital stays, prescription drugs, and long-term medical treatments are costly. Los Angeles personal injury lawyers use large medical bills to establish how much compensation an injured person deserves.
Photographs and Videos Accident scene photographs and videos provide the best defense against drivers who claim they were not responsible. The best pictures and videos are taken shortly after the accident before people and time wear away the evidence. Once bystanders, police officers, medical personnel, and vehicles move, evidence becomes lost, buried and unrecoverable. Technology has advanced so much that we can now rely on vehicle dashcams, highway cameras and video recording devices, and even videos from businesses and personal homes to record and gather evidence. More than anything else, dashcams often provide the best evidence of how an accident occurred and who is responsible. If involved in an accident, use your phone to record high-quality photos and the accident scene’s video. Include close-ups, and distance pictures, gathering different angles of people, vehicle damage, personal injuries, license plates, etc. Pretend that you are documenting the accident and need to show others what happened. Don’t be concerned about taking too many pictures or video footage. As time passes, the accident scene will change, and valuable evidence will ultimately disappear. There is no time better than the present to capture the evidence. If you cannot photograph or record the accident scene, ask someone else to do it for you. Contact a Los Angeles personal injury attorney for advice after an accident.
Accident Scene Evidence Accident scene evidence must be documented immediately, if possible. Weather conditions, people, and time can erase and cloud the evidence. Missing road-signs are replaced, fallen branches are removed, and inclement weather changes. As mentioned, video and photographs provide sufficient
proof of what happened, but they don’t tell the entire story. Especially if the person taking the pictures and video doesn’t get enough shots of everything. It’s often essential that accident scene investigators examine the evidence, including the pictures and videos. Tire marks, road conditions such as potholes, damage to vehicles, breathalyzer tests, etc., are indisputable proof of things that caused the accident.
Eyewitness Statements and Depositions Accident scene witnesses can include passengers in the injured person’s car, drivers or passengers in other vehicles, or bystanders. Eyewitnesses can clarify what the lawyers and insurance companies already know. Their eyewitness statements or sworn depositions can even be convincing enough for an insurance company to settle out of court or for a jury to award an injured person what they deserve.
Discovery Discovery is the process of revealing information and known facts before a case proceeds to trial. The plaintiff’s and defendant’s attorneys provide each other with their evidence so that each side can decide whether they wish to proceed to trial or settle out of court. When you or a loved one has been injured through someone else’s negligence, it’s time to consult with a Los Angeles personal injury attorney. You want the best personal injury attorney Los Angeles to represent you when the person responsible for your injuries and their insurance company refuses to stand up, admit responsibility, and pay you fair compensation for your injuries. If you suffered injuries in a car accident, consider calling a Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney for help and advice. M&Y Personal Injury Lawyers Call (877) 771-8175