The Importance of Eyewitnesses in a Personal Injury Case
When you’ve suffered a personal injury, you’ll be surprised by just how much everything costs. It’s not just about medical bills, although those can be budget-breaking. You also have the cost of going to and from appointments, a sudden loss of income, property damage, and more. Fighting to get that money back from the liable party might seem like too much work, but if you have an eyewitness, your case may be much stronger than you think.
Having the right attorney by your side can also help your personal injury claim. Find out more about how we can help by calling Hedge Copeland at 251-432-8844 and keep reading to learn more about the benefits of eyewitnesses in a personal injury claim.
Your Memories May Change or Weaken Over Time
After your accident, you may feel like the incident is burned in your mind forever. Even though you’d probably like to forget the harsh details of what happened, that may seem impossible. The human memory, though, is not known for its reliability or longevity.
Even in the days and weeks after your injury, the details will start to fade. Not only will the details fade, but some of them will also change completely. False memories are incredibly common, and they can seriously damage your injury claim.
That’s why you have to make the most of the time directly after your injury. Writing down the details is one way to make sure you remember the important details that will make or break your claim. You can also turn to eyewitnesses. If some of the details of your accident begin to fade, an eyewitness’s account may fill in some of the blanks for you.
A Neutral Eyewitness Gives You More Credibility
Insurance companies undoubtedly make it far too difficult for legitimate victims to get the compensation they deserve after an accident. However, they do have their reasons. Someone who has been involved in a crash has something to gain from exaggerating or even lying about what happened.
On the other hand, an eyewitness does not have the same conflict of interest. They don’t have any financial interest in your personal injury claim, so they have no real reason to lie about what happened or what they observed.
While the insurance company may still try to poke holes in their story, they’ll have much less success doing so. An eyewitness, especially a bystander who did not know you prior to the accident, provides their version of events just to make sure the truth is told.
How to Make the Most of Eyewitness Testimony
As you prepare to pursue compensation from the person who caused your injuries, you may be wondering how to use an eyewitness’s observations in your claim. First, make sure you talk to them at the scene of the incident. Use this opportunity to get their contact information and thank them for stopping to provide assistance.
There have been stories of victims successfully tracking down eyewitnesses after an accident, usually using Facebook or other forms of social media. This is an incredibly risky move, though. You risk uninvolved people claiming to have seen your accident just to waste your time, and the chances of finding the person you’re looking for are low. Make sure to always get the contact info for the eyewitness at the time of the accident if possible.
From there, you want to get in touch with a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after your accident. Your memories fade with time—so will those of your eyewitness. If you wait too long to hire an attorney, your eyewitness will have forgotten key details that could help your injury claim. Once you’ve hired a lawyer, provide them with the contact information you collected and let them get to work.
Discuss Your Legal Options After an Injury with Hedge Copeland
If you’ve suffered injuries because of another person’s negligence, it’s time to find out if you’re entitled to compensation. The team at Hedge Copeland is committed to doing what’s best for you and getting the compensation that you deserve. Set up a consultation right now by calling us at 251-432-8844 or sending us a message online.
