After you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident — whether a car accident or a truck accident — your immediate concern should be to obtain adequate medical care for your various injuries.  However, you must also act carefully to ensure that all evidence relevant to your eventual lawsuit is identified, gathered, and secured.  Failure to do so could undermine your injury claims against the defendant.

Many injured plaintiffs do not realize the fundamental value of evidence.  They might mistakenly believe that their testimony (along with a bare minimum of additional evidence) is sufficient to win the case.  The difference between a successful motor vehicle accident claim and an unsuccessful one often hinges on the weight of the available evidence.  As such, it’s important to secure as much relevant evidence as possible in support of your injury claims.

Consider the following.

Medical Records and Documents

Medical expenses form a significant portion of most motor vehicle accident claims, in Alabama and elsewhere — it’s therefore critical that you gather the necessary documentary evidence supporting your medical expenses claim.  You must present sufficient evidence to demonstrate that you have, in fact, suffered the injuries at-issue, and that your medical expenses are accurately represented by your claim for losses.

Wage Loss Evidence

Wage loss includes past and future wage loss.  You’ll want to request documentary evidence that demonstrates your wage loss, such as pay stubs and cheques.  Failure to procure such evidence will undermine the legitimacy of your damage claim and give the defendant an opportunity to make a low-ball estimate of your actual wage loss.

Eyewitness Contact Information

Eyewitnesses are not necessary to success in a motor vehicle accident lawsuit, but can be quite useful, particularly if the defendant is presenting eyewitness testimony that conflicts with your version of events.  After an accident, you should (if possible) identify the eyewitnesses around the scene of the accident and take down their contact information so that your attorney can later engage them for testimony.

Surveillance Video and Images

In today’s highly digitized world, surveillance video and imagery are abundant on busy roadways and intersections.  You may be able to request surveillance footage from public or private entities near the accident scene.  This surveillance footage can spell the difference between success and failure at trial, in fact, as — depending on the clarity of the footage — it can definitively prove your version of events and undermine the defendant.

Snapshots of the Accident Scene

In the wake of an accident, public and private entities sometimes commit to “fixing” design defects in the road or will clear the road of hazards.  It’s important that you take photos of the accident scene (and the surrounding roadway) to ensure that you can provide an accurate snapshot of the condition of the road at the time of the accident.

The Damaged Vehicle Itself

Oftentimes, following a motor vehicle accident, injury victims will junk their vehicle, repair the vehicle, or even sell it.  Avoid this!  Your vehicle is evidence in and of itself.  Accident reconstruction experts can evaluate the state of your vehicle and piece together the impact forces, as well as how the accident may have occurred.

If you have suffered injuries in a motor vehicle accident, then you may be entitled to recover damages pursuant to Alabama law.  Contact an experienced injury attorney for further guidance on how best to pursue litigation — your attorney will evaluate your various claims and develop a strategy for securing maximum compensation.