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The aftermath of a serious car accident can be chaotic. You may be dealing with injuries, a damaged vehicle, medical appointments, and calls from insurance companies at the same time. While your health should be your immediate priority, the days and weeks following a crash can also be important for preserving evidence.
Evidence can help establish how a Fort Worth accident occurred, who was responsible, and how the collision affected your life. Unfortunately, some evidence can disappear quickly. At Barrow Law, we help injured people in Fort Worth investigate serious crashes and pursue compensation from negligent drivers and other responsible parties.
Texas car accident claims often depend on determining fault. An insurance company may not simply accept your description of the collision, particularly when significant compensation is at stake.
The other driver may dispute what happened. Witnesses may remember events differently as time passes. An insurance carrier may also question whether all of your injuries resulted from the crash.
Strong evidence can help answer important questions such as:
Our Fort Worth car accident attorneys represent people injured in serious motor vehicle collisions and can investigate the evidence available in an accident claim.
If your physical condition allows it, photographs and videos can provide valuable documentation of the crash scene.
Try to capture more than close-up pictures of vehicle damage. Wider photographs may help establish where the vehicles came to rest, the configuration of the roadway, traffic signals, lane markings, and other details.
Useful photographs may include:
Those surrounding buildings can become particularly important. A Fort Worth business near an intersection may have a security camera that recorded the accident. However, surveillance footage may eventually be overwritten or deleted.
Identifying potential cameras early can help an attorney determine whether relevant footage may exist.
Independent witnesses can be important when drivers disagree about what happened.
If someone saw the collision, obtain their name and contact information when possible. Do not assume that the police report will necessarily contain information for every person who witnessed the crash.
A witness may have observed something you did not. For example, someone traveling behind the other driver may have seen that driver using a phone immediately before the collision.
Memories can become less precise over time. Identifying witnesses early gives your legal team an opportunity to investigate their accounts while the accident is still relatively fresh.
When law enforcement responds to a serious Fort Worth car accident, officers may prepare an accident report containing information about the vehicles, drivers, location, insurance, and circumstances surrounding the crash.
Keep a copy of the report with your accident records.
A crash report can provide useful information, but it should not necessarily be viewed as the only evidence of fault. A complete investigation may include photographs, witness statements, electronic information, video footage, and other evidence beyond what appears in the initial report.
Vehicle damage can sometimes reveal important information about how a collision occurred.
The location and severity of damage may help investigators understand the direction of impact and the forces involved. In serious accidents, vehicles may also contain electronic data that could become relevant to an investigation.
This is one reason to be cautious about allowing a severely damaged vehicle to be destroyed or disposed of before important evidence has been evaluated.
If another vehicle contains potentially significant evidence, an attorney may also need to take steps to request that the vehicle or relevant information be preserved.
Evidence after a Fort Worth car accident is not limited to proving who caused the collision. You may also need to establish the nature and extent of your injuries.
Seek appropriate medical attention after a serious accident and follow the recommendations of your healthcare providers.
Depending on your injuries, relevant records may include:
Prompt medical attention can document your condition following the collision. Continuing with recommended treatment can also create a clearer record of your recovery.
Insurance companies may scrutinize gaps in treatment or question whether later symptoms are connected to the accident. Your medical records can therefore become a central part of a Fort Worth personal injury claim.
A serious injury can prevent someone from working for days, weeks, or considerably longer.
If the accident affects your employment, keep documentation showing your financial losses. This could include pay stubs, tax documents, correspondence with your employer, records of missed shifts, or information concerning disability leave.
For self-employed individuals, documenting lost income can be more complicated. Business records, invoices, contracts, tax returns, and prior earnings may become relevant.
Severe injuries can also affect a person’s future earning capacity. The evidence needed to establish those losses will depend on the circumstances.
After a Fort Worth collision, you may receive calls, emails, letters, or other communications from insurance carriers.
Keep these records.
You should also be careful about providing recorded statements, signing documents, or accepting a settlement before you understand your injuries and legal options. An insurer may request information shortly after an accident, when you are still receiving medical treatment and do not yet know the full extent of your losses.
If an insurance company sends you correspondence regarding coverage, liability, medical authorization, or a settlement offer, preserve a copy for your attorney.
Modern car accident investigations can involve many forms of digital evidence.
Depending on the collision, potentially relevant evidence could include:
Not every type of evidence will be available or relevant in every case. However, digital evidence can be particularly important when it provides an objective record of events.
Some of this information may only be retained for a limited period. Acting promptly after a serious Fort Worth car accident can therefore make a meaningful difference.
Preserving evidence also means being careful about what you delete or discard.
Do not throw away damaged personal property that may be relevant to your injuries. Keep photographs and videos backed up. Save accident-related messages and emails.
You should also use caution with social media after an accident. Posts, photographs, location information, and comments can potentially become an issue during an insurance claim or lawsuit.
Even a seemingly harmless post may be interpreted differently when viewed without context.
You do not have to personally locate every piece of evidence that may be relevant to your case. In serious accident claims, an attorney can investigate the collision and identify evidence that should be obtained or preserved.
That may include requesting surveillance footage, interviewing witnesses, reviewing accident records, examining vehicle evidence, and communicating with insurance companies.
The sooner an investigation begins, the greater the opportunity may be to preserve evidence before it disappears.
Evidence can play a critical role in determining liability and documenting the losses caused by a serious crash. Taking steps to preserve photographs, medical records, witness information, financial documentation, and other evidence can help protect your interests after a Fort Worth collision.
If you are dealing with injuries after a serious car accident in Fort Worth, our attorneys are here to help. Call us today or connect with us online to schedule a consultation.
