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Our Fort Myers pedestrian accident lawyers have over 40 years of combined experience and can help you win a settlement you qualify for. Read on to learn more about crucial evidence in a pedestrian accident case.
Accident Site Photos
Photos taken of the accident site immediately after a pedestrian crash can provide visual evidence to support your case. Documenting the scene through photographs is one of the most important things you can do. Some key ways accident site photos can help include:
- Capturing the layout and design of the intersection, crosswalk, or sidewalk area where the collision occurred. This shows any potential hazards or visibility issues.
- Documenting the positions of all vehicles, debris, signs, or other objects right after impact. This helps determine what happened based on evidence placement.
- Photographing any skid marks, gouges, or scrapes on the roadway surface that may indicate braking or evasive maneuvers taken.
- Showing environmental conditions like lighting, presence of foliage or parked cars inhibiting views, or weather at the time.
- Providing photographic evidence of the nature and extent of any injuries sustained. Photos of bruising, swelling, cuts, or wounds over time can demonstrate the seriousness of injuries.
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Witness Statements
Witness statements can play an invaluable role in a pedestrian accident case. Speaking to anyone who observed the crash and documenting what they saw is important. Their accounts may help corroborate the sequence of events and identify who was at fault.
Having witness contact information and statements regarding details like how the incident occurred, vehicle speeds, traffic signal status, and driver behaviors observed both before and after the collision can greatly benefit your case.
It is also important to record anything witnesses may have heard drivers say to each other post-accident regarding responsibility or contributing circumstances. Any photos or videos captured on their devices can additionally be crucial evidence.
Police Reports
Police reports made in response to a pedestrian accident are crucial evidence that can support your claim. Requesting copies of all documentation, notes, images, witness statements, citations, or other details captured by responding officers is important.
Police reports should contain objective observations and facts recorded at the scene immediately after the incident occurred. This includes descriptions of factors like vehicle positions, roadway markings, traffic signals, markings or debris indicative of impacts, and injuries observed. It also documents witness accounts and statements taken from those involved.
The reports show the officer’s assessment of events based on evidence and information available directly after the crash. Things like determined points of impact, conclusions about speeds, and any citations issued are included. Documented weather, light, and road conditions at the time may also corroborate claims.
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Your complete medical records provide essential evidence to substantiate the full nature and extent of injuries suffered in the pedestrian accident. It is essential to gather all documentation from every doctor, clinic, hospital, or other healthcare provider that assessed or treated you following the incident. If you’re thinking about foregoing medical attention after an accident because you feel fine after the accident, you’re risking your eligibility for compensation.
Requesting copies of your full medical charts ensures nothing is omitted that could help support the injury claims. The records should contain comprehensive notes, test results, imaging reports, diagnoses, treatment plans, bills, and any other relevant details. Thorough documentation paints a clear picture of the clinical course and damages resulting from the injuries caused by the defendant.
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How Do You Preserve Crucial Evidence in a Pedestrian Accident?
When a pedestrian accident occurs, it’s important to properly preserve any evidence at the scene that may be useful to your case. The first key step is to not disturb the accident location or move any vehicles involved until the police have investigated and documented the position of everything.
You should take photos on your phone of the entire scene from all angles, including photos of any injuries you sustained, as well as photos of all traffic signals and signage visible before anything at the scene has the potential to change. It is also important to record the contact information of any witnesses in case follow-up contact needs to be made later on.
After receiving any medical care, avoid cleaning or discarding damaged or stained clothing items until your attorney has had an opportunity to inspect them, if applicable. Additionally, refrain from discussing or assigning fault regarding the accident on social media platforms, and do not post any photos publicly that could potentially be misconstrued or misrepresented out of full context later.
How Can an Attorney Help Gather Crucial Pedestrian Accident Evidence?
When you’ve been involved in a pedestrian accident, time is vital to properly document and preserve evidence that may be important to proving your case. Some of the key ways a lawyer can help in evidence collection include:
- Conducting a thorough investigation of the accident scene while it remains undisturbed. Our team at Viles & Beckman knows what details to look for and properly photograph.
- Obtaining witness statements and contact information from anyone who saw what occurred. Witness accounts are important evidence.
- Promptly requesting preservation of security footage or dashcam videos from nearby locations that may have captured the collision.
- Working with accident reconstruction experts to analyze physical evidence and draw conclusions on factors like vehicle speeds or signal timing.
- Making formal Public Records Act requests for documents like traffic studies or road design plans from the city.
- Ensuring all medical records and bills are gathered over the course of your treatment.
- Coordinating with police to acquire investigative reports, photos, and traffic citation data.
- Issuing evidence preservation letters to entities that may later claim relevant materials were deleted.
By acting quickly with legal assistance, the initial evidence-gathering phase moves forward comprehensively and correctly. This optimizes using all available information to prove liability and damages.
Learn More About Evidence in a Pedestrian Accident Case
If you’re a pedestrian accident victim, our team of Fort Myers personal injury lawyers is ready to help you build a strong case to recover compensation. At Viles & Beckman, we can help you understand what evidence you need to file a successful lawsuit.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you build your pedestrian case.
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