What Evidence Can Help Your Car Accident Case?

In Pennsylvania, you may have to prove that another driver is at fault for your automobile accident to recover financial compensation. Achieving this task requires compelling evidence. As a crash victim, there are steps you can take to start building a strong injury case from the start. This includes knowing what evidence to collect.

Police Accident Report

According to lawyers handling car accident claims in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania state law requires motorists to report automobile accidents to law enforcement if they result in injury, death or at least $1,000 in property damage. Crash reporting is important for evidence purposes. The police report that is created by the responding officer can contain key facts and details about the collision. This report is often one of the first things an insurance company asks for when processing a claim.

Photographic Evidence

Evidence proving a car accident case can be real, documentary, testimonial or demonstrative in nature. One of the strongest types of demonstrative evidence is photographs. Pictures and videos at the crash scene can demonstrate the level of damage you suffered in the crash and help reconstruction experts re-create the collision to determine fault. Take pictures before you leave the scene of your car accident, if possible. Look around for nearby video cameras, as well.

Witness Statements

If someone witnessed the car accident take place, talk to them after the crash. Write down their name, a brief statement and their contact information. Recorded or signed eyewitness statements can provide important information about how and why the crash occurred. An eyewitness may help prove that the other driver is at fault, for example, by testifying that he or she was weaving in and out of multiple lanes right before your accident.

Medical Records 

Evidence that proves fault for the automobile accident is not the only type you should be concerned with after a crash in Pennsylvania. An insurance company will also request proof of your losses. This will primarily revolve around medical documentation of your related injuries.

Go to a hospital immediately after your accident for prompt injury diagnosis and professional documentation. Submit all relevant medical records to the insurance company with your claim. The right records can prove your injuries and show their severity to increase the value of your claim. You should also keep evidence of other losses, such as bills, lost wage statements and property repair estimates.

Get Help Meeting Your Burden of Proof 

A car accident lawsuit that is filed to seek financial compensation for personal injury or property damage involves the civil justice system. This is distinct from the criminal justice system in many ways, including the burden of proof that must be met. 

In a car accident case in Pennsylvania, the burden of proof that must be met by the filing party or plaintiff is “a preponderance of the evidence.” This is lighter than the burden of “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” which is used in criminal law. 

A preponderance of the evidence means a case is proven as more likely to be true than not. You must deliver enough evidence to convince a judge or a jury with at least a 51 percent certainty that another driver is responsible for causing your crash.  

Hiring a top-rated Pittsburgh attorney for injury claims can make it easier to gather evidence to support your claim. Your lawyer will have the resources and ability to present evidence in a compelling way to an insurance company or the courts for maximum impact.