If you or someone you love was recently hurt in a Bay Area auto accident, you need to document evidence as quickly as possible to lay the groundwork for potential legal action.
Here are three tips to keep in mind.
Tip #1: Collect more information than you think your Bay Area accident attorney needs.
Take photos of the accident scene from every angle, using your cell phone camera. Don’t just photograph your car — photograph road conditions and your injuries. If you’re too hurt to operate a camera, ask a passenger in the car, or even a person on the street, to take the pictures for you.
Tip #2: Collect information from all parties and witnesses — as well as the police report.
Be diverse, thorough, and quick with respect to your documentation efforts. A verbatim witness statement taken right after the accident is worth a lot more, legally speaking, than a remembered witness statement given a week or even several hours after the crash.
Also: collect license and insurance information and other key documents.
Tip #3: Journal, and document all correspondence.
Keep receipts and paperwork for all medical care you get as well as prescriptions, copayments, correspondence, emails, etc. Collate this information, and save it at one place in your home. Also, track your progress via an injury journal. Even the most minute details can be useful, later on, if/when you take legal action and/or file a claim with an insurance company.
As soon as you have sufficiently rested and recovered from your medical crisis, get in touch with a trusted, reputable San Francisco accident attorney to figure out your next steps.
Insurance companies and liable defendants (especially commercial defendants) work fast after big crashes to limit liability. The difference between asking for legal help on day one versus your calling for help on day three may be the difference between a good settlement and no settlement at all.
The personal injury and accident attorney team here at the Law Offices of Daniel Vega is standing by to help with your case. Give us a call or contact us via our site now for assistance.