What Evidence can I Use to Support My Car Accident Claim?

 Posted on June 03, 2018 in Car Accident

When you are injured in a collision with a negligent driver, you have the right to pursue monetary compensation for your damages through a personal injury claim. Just like pursuing compensation for your damages after any other type of accident, you need to use evidence to support your automobile accident claim. Your lawyer can help you obtain some of the evidence you need, but other pieces need to come directly from the scene of the accident. When you file a car accident claim, you need the following types of evidence to support your claim:

Evidence From the Scene of the Accident

In the moments immediately after the collision, you need to gather a few key pieces of evidence that will demonstrate:

• That a collision occurred;
• That you and the other driver were the parties involved in the collision; and
• How the collision occurred.

This evidence includes:

• A copy of the official police report for the accident;
• Photographs of the accident scene; and
• Eyewitness testimonies of the accident.

Evidence Showing Your Current Financial Losses

An effective personal injury claim proves multiple points. In addition to demonstrating that a collision involving you and another driver did, in fact, occur, your claim must also show how the accident caused you to suffer specific financial damages. You must also successfully demonstrate that the injury you suffered was directly caused by the accident, and not an unrelated incident.

Evidence to show that you were injured and that you are currently facing financial damages as a result can include:

• Copies of your medical bills;
• Testimony from your doctor discussing the injury and your treatment;
• Documentation of your current wage rate and the days you are missing at work because of the injury; and
• Any other documentation that shows how you are currently suffering from the injury, such as testimonies from your loved ones about your mental health status.

Evidence of Your Future Accident-Related Expenses

In your personal injury claim, you can pursue compensation for the losses you will face in the future because of the injury. Evidence to support this claim is quite similar to the evidence you will use to support your claim for current expenses, but the focus is on how you will be affected financially later. This evidence can include:

• Testimony from your doctor discussing your reduced capacity to work;
• Documentation of your projected career earnings to show the wages you will be unable to earn; and
• Your own testimony about your reduced quality of life after the accident.

Work with an Experienced Libertyville Car Accident Lawyer

If you are injured in a car accident and you find yourself facing financial damages as a result, work with an experienced car accident lawyer to pursue monetary compensation for your damages through a personal injury claim. To get started, contact our team at Newland & Newland, LLP today to set up your initial legal consultation with us. We serve clients in the Arlington Heights, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Libertyville, Mundelein, Buffalo Grove, Schaumburg, Elk Grove, and Itasca areas.

(image courtesy of Dan Gold)