If you were involved in a car crash in Arkansas, you might be facing serious injuries that involve expensive medical bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and substantial pain and suffering. To get the compensation you need, it is important to make sure that your case is strong. Before calling an Arkansas personal injury lawyer for help with your case, there are steps you can take to collect evidence and help increase the strength of your case. Working with an attorney will also help to improve your case’s strength and increase the chance of getting compensation for your injuries. Fayetteville car accident lawyer Ken Kieklak explains.
Getting Hospital Records to Help with a Car Accident Claim in Arkansas
If you were injured in an accident, one of the best things you can do to start building a strong case is to get your injuries treated. If you don’t go to the hospital, the defendant and their attorneys might argue that your injuries weren’t that serious. If you wait too long to get treatment, they might even argue that your injuries actually occurred from something that happened after the crash and that they shouldn’t be held responsible for outside injuries.
When you get your injuries treated, you can also start building good documentary evidence of what injuries you faced. Your medical records will be excellent evidence in your case, showing exactly what harms you suffered, what treatment you went through to deal with those injuries, and what ongoing therapy or rehabilitation you will need to reverse the effects of the injury. It also creates a record that shows that these injuries were treated immediately after the accident, helping to prove that they were indeed related to the crash.
Collecting Evidence to Help Improve a Car Accident Lawsuit in Arkansas
Immediately after the accident is the best time to collect evidence for your case. If you are seriously injured and cannot walk around the accident scene with a pen and paper gathering evidence, worry first about getting the medical care you need. The police that respond to a crash will usually fill out an accident report that has contact information and other info that you need to build your case later.
If you are at the scene of the crash and are able to get the names and contact info of everyone involved in the crash, that is good evidence. Additionally, getting the make, model, license plate number, and description of each vehicle involved will help you explain to the jury which cars were involved and what happened leading up to the crash. Other info, such as the time, location, weather, lighting, layout of the roads, and locations of traffic signals and signs will also help strengthen your story.
If you can get photos or videos of what happened, this is also fantastic evidence. Jurors and judges are often visual, and showing them the accident while describing the accident helps them better understand what happened. If you can take photos of the accident scene, the damage to each vehicle, and the overall layout and positions of the vehicles, this can help reconstruct the crash for the jury. If you have a dash cam or a nearby traffic camera or store security camera actually captured the crash, footage of the accident will be the strongest evidence. Contact the owner of the footage and ask them to preserve the footage for trial and send you a copy of the video.
Additional statements and contact information from witnesses will also help strengthen a case. Rather than relying on your word versus the at-fault driver’s word, the court can listen to additional witness testimony to get a neutral telling of what happened.
Working with a Lawyer for a Stronger Court Case after an Arkansas Car Accident
Experienced Arkansas car accident lawyers can help their clients improve their cases in ways they might not have thought of. Most Washington County personal injury lawyers and car accident lawyers are trained and experienced in gathering and presenting evidence, building case strategies, and arguing cases before a judge and jury. Their experience can be put to use for you, helping you use details and nuanced bits of information that you might not have realized could affect your case.
It is also better to have a lawyer in your corner when dealing with the at-fault driver’s attorneys or insurance company. These parties will usually try to pressure you into settling your case for a low dollar amount. Your lawyers can calculate your damages themselves and help you understand what amount would be fair to compensate you for the accident. If you are offered anything less than that, your lawyer can negotiate for a higher settlement or fight your case in open court to help you get the damages you need.
In some cases, simply recalculating your damages yourself with the help of a personal injury lawyer can give you a high value to show the jury how serious your case truly is. Presenting opening statements and closing arguments with the skill that comes with experience in the courtroom can also leave the jury with the information they need to rule in your favor.
Call Our Fayetteville, AR Car Accident Lawyer for Help with Your Injury Claim
After a serious accident, it is important to work with a Fayetteville, AR personal injury lawyer who can help you gather evidence and fight for your rights. Strengthening your case often means turning to those with the knowledge and experience to help. Ken Kieklak, Attorney at Law, can put his experience and trial skills to work in your case, fighting to strengthen your claim each step of the way with solid evidence and arguments. For a free legal consultation on your claim, call us today at (479) 316-0438.