Testimony from witnesses, especially independent ones, to a car accident can help your claim because they can provide insight into the details of the accident. They can also support your story about how the accident occurred.
These statements can help preserve the facts of the case. If you’re filing a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company, the witness statement could provide enough proof for them to agree to a settlement.
After a car accident, it is sometimes difficult to prove fault. People involved in the accident sometimes believe they aren’t at fault. One of the best ways to get more insight into how an accident occurred is to review witness statements. A car accident lawyer from our firm can help you identify witnesses after you were involved in a crash.
Types of Witnesses That Can Help You Settle a Car Accident Claim
When people think of witnesses, they think of those who saw the car accident as it occurred. While these are valuable witnesses, other types of witnesses could provide proof for your claim.
Witnesses of the Car Accident
People who saw the crash happen can provide a witness statement to the police on the scene. They can also provide a witness testimony later if needed. When the accident occurs, look around and identify potential witnesses. Obtain their contact information if their statement could help you in the future.
A witness to the accident can explain how the other driver’s negligence caused your injuries. They can also verify that the story you tell is what actually happened.
Witnesses of Your Injuries
The at-fault party could try to claim that your injuries are not as bad as you say they are. They could also say that your injuries were not caused by the car accident. Witnesses can help with this. These witnesses could include family or friends who have seen how much your injuries have impacted your life or caused you pain.
Medical professionals can also testify to the severity of your injuries. A medical professional can show the opposing side how severe your injuries are by providing information about the pain you experienced and the treatment you had to go through.
Expert Witnesses
Your attorney could also hire expert witnesses to vouch for you. An expert witness is a professional who can testify for you in court Types of expert witnesses could include:
- Accident reconstruction experts
- Engineers
- Economists
- Occupational experts
- Medical experts
Usually, a car accident attorney can help you find the expert witness you need for your case.
Witnesses Can Help After a Car Accident in Several Ways
Besides adding credibility to your claim, witnesses can help you in many other ways. This is why it is essential to identify witnesses while you’re still on the accident scene. When you hire an attorney to help you with your claim, they can begin to investigate the accident. A large part of the investigation involves interviewing witnesses. Witnesses can provide information such as:
- A clear picture of what happened: Witnesses saw the accident from a different vantage point. They can provide information on their version, which could help provide a clearer picture of what happened.
- Establishing who caused the accident: The witness can provide information in their statement if they saw the driver texting before an accident or running a red light. This can prove the at-fault driver caused the accident because they acted negligently before it happened.
- Helping prove you sustained injuries on the accident scene: When a witness makes their statement, they can include information about injuries they noticed you sustained on the scene. This can help prove your injuries happened because of the accident in case there are any discrepancies about where you sustained your injuries.
Having an unbiased third party provide information from an objective point of view can help your claim tremendously.
Factors That Could Impact Witness Credibility
When you identify witnesses, it is essential to ensure they are credible. A non-credible witness could do more harm than good during a car accident claim. To find the right witness, it is important to know the factors that could impact their credibility. These factors include:
- If the witness provided their testimony based on their own personal observations or if it is from what they heard from someone else.
- If the witness is a convicted felon.
- If the witness has a reputation for dishonesty.
- The witness’s physical condition, such as if they have poor eyesight or hearing.
- If the witness was intoxicated at the time the accident occurred.
If you work with a car accident attorney on your claim, they can help you determine if a witness is credible.
Our Car Accident Attorney Can Build a Solid Case on Your Behalf
If you’re filing a claim against the at-fault party, our car accident attorney can help you build a strong case against them. They can also explain further how testimony from witnesses to a car accident can help your claim. If you sustained injuries, you deserve to recover compensation from the liable party.
At The Fitch Law Firm LLC, we help accident victims recover compensation. Contact us today for a free consultation.