Collecting Evidence for Long Island Car Accident Litigation
Following a car accident, the injured party has the option of pursuing litigation. If the person chooses to move forward with a case, the first step they must take is gathering evidence. Collecting evidence for Long Island car accident litigation takes approximately one to two months. Statements from clients and witnesses that might have seen the accident are very important and part of evidence wanted when evaluating a claim. Hospital records, particularly the initial emergency room records which might include ambulance reports, are helpful in determining what happened at the outset with respect to the accident. If you want to know more about collecting evidence in car accident cases, get in touch with a knowledgeable lawyer today.
Process of Gathering Evidence
Before filing a claim, it is essential that an attorney obtains the police reports. New York consists of Nassau County, Suffolk County, and New York City, which consists of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens. Each of those jurisdictions has its own police force so it is important to make sure to get the right police report and corresponding investigation reports.
New York State Police cover certain highways, as well. It is very important for attorneys to get that police report because it could be very helpful in evaluating a case. Photographs are essential. In today’s world, taking a photograph is easy. Photographs of the cars involved, the street locations, and even the injuries help attorneys evaluate and understand the case. Most attorneys send out the appropriate requests and letters to obtain all of the information and evidence needed.
Evidence an Attorney Needs
When collecting evidence for Long Island car accident litigation, the kinds of evidence an attorney will look for depends on the facts of the case. It is always a little different in cases, but a lot of things are the same in car accident cases. Police reports, photographs, hospital records, and witness statements are very important when trying to recreate how an accident occurred. Occasionally, there are other things that might be needed like weather reports, fire department reports, and surveillance tapes that might be important. There might be news reports and records regarding the maintenance of a vehicle that might be important. There is always something else that might be needed, but many car accidents have similar types of evidence to gather.
How a Lawyer Can Help
If you have been involved in a car accident, you should contact a personal injury lawyer who can collect evidence to build your case. Before presenting evidence to the court, the attorney might have to exchange evidence with the defense as a part of discovery. Some evidence is within the public domain, like a police report, so anybody can get it. As long as the attorney has exchanged it with the other side of it is within the public domain, that type of evidence can be introduced at trial.
Collecting evidence for Long Island car accident litigation takes time and like with any case, if moving ahead into the litigation arena, an intelligent plan is needed. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer because attorneys want to make sure they have everything they need.
