There are things accident victims can do to help preserve evidence of their injury. For example, taking pictures right after the injury happened could be very helpful when your attorney begins putting your case together. Asking witnesses what they saw and obtaining their contact information can also be important.
However, while there is no requirement to hire an attorney to represent you, having an attorney can be invaluable when it comes to preserving evidence. There are steps attorneys can take that accident victims probably do not know about.
To learn more about how an experienced lawyer may be able to help you, call Schmidt Kramer to schedule your free legal consultation. There no upfront fees for our services.
How Attorneys Preserve Evidence
The Harrisburg personal injury lawyers at Schmidt Kramer understand the importance of preserving evidence after an accident. Evidence allows us to build a case against the at-fault party and show how your injuries directly resulted from that party’s negligence.
Anti-Spoliation Letters
One useful step to preserve evidence is sending an anti-spoliation letter to a party that is in possession of evidence. This letter orders the party that has the evidence to preserve it and not damage it. If the party identified in the spoliation letter damages the evidence, he or she could face sanctions under state law. Your lawyer should make sure to send the letter via certified mail so there is proof of receipt.
Spoliation letters can be especially useful in truck accident cases, as they can help prevent tampering with damaged vehicles and trucking company records, such as logs of how many hours the driver was behind the wheel.
Recovering Video Footage
Another step your attorney may take is preserving video surveillance footage of the accident before it is erased. Your attorney will know what steps to take to determine if footage may be available and how to obtain it, including laws and legal procedures that may apply. Surveillance footage is often erased after a certain amount of time, which is why you need an experienced attorney who knows how to act quickly.
Making Witness Statements Official
Your lawyer may conduct depositions with witnesses to obtain their official statements about the accident. Statements from witnesses can help to bolster a claim and reveal all the factors that contributed to your injury. Experienced attorneys know what questions to ask to obtain the information they need for a claim.
What Can I do to Help My Attorney?
There is limited time to obtain compensation for a personal injury accident. Investigating takes time and if you wait, your attorney may have a more difficult time preserving evidence. That is why contacting an attorney quickly is so important. Once an attorney validates your claim and you hire him or her, he or she can get to work on your claim.
In addition to contacting a lawyer right away, documenting your injuries and treatments received and writing down what you remember about the accident as soon as possible, are also important steps accident victims can take.
Ask any witnesses at the scene for their contact information. If you have time, talk to them about what they saw and take notes or record a video of your conversation, with their permission.
Call to Set Up Your Free Initial Consultation with a Licensed Attorney
There are many benefits to hiring a licensed attorney after suffering a personal injury caused by another’s negligence. Those who hire an attorney often obtain more compensation than those who do not.
At Schmidt Kramer, we understand accident victims often have a lot of questions and concerns. They are also unsure about their legal options. That is why we offer a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss what happened.
If we represent you, there are no upfront fees. Our lawyers are not paid unless we obtain compensation for your damages. Our firm has obtained millions on behalf of Pennsylvania injury victims.
Schmidt Kramer. No upfront fees or obligations. Call (717) 888-8888 today.