{"id":41479,"date":"2021-01-29T11:47:48","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T03:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/?p=41479"},"modified":"2021-01-29T11:47:52","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T03:47:52","slug":"a-guide-to-collecting-evidence-after-a-car-accident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/2021\/01\/29\/a-guide-to-collecting-evidence-after-a-car-accident\/","title":{"rendered":"A guide to collecting evidence after a car accident"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Picture the scenario: you have just experienced a car crash. You\u2019re confused and scared, and only the adrenaline is masking the pain of your injuries. Without a clear head, it is difficult to understand what you should do next.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is important you don\u2019t do<\/em>, however, is stay put in your vehicle. At least, that\u2019s the case if it is safe for you to exit.  You should first receive attention for any injuries you have received<\/a>. Then it\u2019s a case of gathering evidence so a clearer picture can be painted about the accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s just one question: How can you effectively gather this evidence? That is where this guide will offer a helping hand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stay out of harm\u2019s way <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before anything, ensure your vehicle is out of harm\u2019s way. The last thing you want is for a passing car to hit yours, leading to further damage and additional injuries. Also, if it\u2019s not safe to get out of your car or your injuries are too severe, forget about the idea of collecting evidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can exit the vehicle<\/a>, do so and stay in a safe area away from oncoming traffic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take pictures <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unless you\u2019re one of the rare few that have yet to adopt a smartphone, you will have a camera ready to go for collecting visual evidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With your phone, capture videos or pictures of the vehicles involved in the car accident<\/a>. When doing this, be careful you don\u2019t step into any debris like broken glass, which can cause further injury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with the vehicles, take photos of the environment. Did the weather play a role in the crash? Maybe it was due to the condition of the road? Perhaps it was because you were driving at night and there was an inadequate amount of lighting on the road? If factors like these are present, don\u2019t ignore them when collecting evidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gather contact details <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

After the accident, try and keep your emotions in check when interacting with the other driver involved in the collision. By doing this, you should exchange contact and insurance details with them without any issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should also look out for anyone that witnessed the accident. As well as taking their contact details, ask for their account of what happened while it is still fresh in their minds. When talking to any witnesses, ask for their permission to record the conversation for preservation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping hold of documentation <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Away from the actual evidence, there are other items you need to collect for your claim. This includes: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Receipts for car repairs <\/li>
  • Medical bills<\/li>
  • Invoices for additional medical assistance or personal services <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Forming your case <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Once you have gathered all of this evidence, you will have a strong case to maximize your settlement claim. However, it is still highly recommended you enlist an experienced attorney to put together your case and ensure insurance providers don\u2019t get away with paying out a reduced settlement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Plus, if you can only gather a limited amount of evidence, an attorney can put in the legwork to still secure you the settlement you deserve. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    There\u2019s just one question: How can you effectively gather this evidence? That is where this guide will offer a helping hand. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":41480,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[637,26],"tags":[4157,7097,628],"class_list":["post-41479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motoring-2","category-opinions","tag-insurance","tag-insurance-industry","tag-motoring"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.upgrademag.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}