The right evidence must be gathered when proving blame and achieving a good settlement where there is a car accident involving damage and, in particular, injuries.
A Los Angeles car accident lawyer will know just what evidence is required from their legal training and experience of past cases. The more that can be claimed for, the greater the settlement ultimately.
In this article, we will consider the types of evidence that a car accident lawyer will look to gather to prove a case on behalf of their client. Car accident lawyers will make every effort possible not to miss evidence that will help their clients.
Evidence from the Scene
Evidence should be gathered from the scene before it is cleaned up. This will be invaluable in terms of proving blame.
A car accident lawyer will help in obtaining the police report that will document what was found at the scene of an accident and look to establish whose fault it was, or at least how it was caused. A police report can be relied on as much as a medical report. These are professionals not connected with the victims who will be providing an unbiased account that is permissible later in court.
Medical Records
By medical records, we mean things like hospital bills and prescriptions that will provide documentary evidence of the injuries sustained and the suffering that has taken place during and following the car accident.
To prove the level of injury is invaluable in terms of obtaining the best possible settlement for a client. It will, for instance, need to be determined whether the injury was minor or more severe. The injuries will be documented in the case of medical records by a health care professional and so can be relied on in terms of what makes a reliable witness. Prescriptions will state things like pain killers that were required. How long these are issued for will indicate the level and length of time of suffering.
In-Depth Knowledge of Traffic Laws
A car accident lawyer will know all the traffic laws. Quite possibly better than any driver. If it can be proved that these laws were not followed by a driver involved in an accident then determing fault might be easier. Put simply, if a driver did not follow any traffic laws correctly, then blame might switch to them. This is an area where the car accident lawyer will excel.
You can, of course, research the traffic laws yourself but it is a car accident lawyer that is more likely to discover a law that has not been followed. It can vary between states in America. Los Angeles will have its own specific regulations for car users. Above all, it is therefore vital that the traffic laws in the precise area where the accident took place are taken into consideration.
How are Insurance Companies Involved?
As the police gather evidence to prove criminal negligence, an adjuster from an insurance company will gather details about an accident. This will include reviewing police reports involving all parties and looking at photographs of the damage. Then based on the adjuster’s review, the insurance company will determine fault.
A car accident lawyer can dispute what the insurance company has come up with if they can find something in either report that is more circumstantial than evidence-based in its findings. Essentially, an insurance report will be a car accident lawyer’s ally if it declares that their client was an innocent party.
Proving evidence is therefore about gathering what there is from an accident and comparing it with known traffic laws. This will establish blame. Then when this is determined, medical records will indicate the level of settlement due. Car accident lawyers will fight for their clients to receive the highest sum possible that takes care of not only income reductions through lost working days but also compensates for longer-term trauma or disabilities.
