What To Look For When Trying To Prove A Car Accident Injury Claim
If you've been injured in a car accident, the key to recovering is being able to prove what happened. In some accidents, it's obvious, but in many others, it isn't. Here are some of the things you can look for to try to prove your case.
Intoxication
If you suspect the other driver may be intoxicated, call emergency services immediately and tell them you believe the other driver is intoxicated while reporting the accident. If you let them know the other driver may be drunk, they'll quickly dispatch an officer trained in field sobriety tests to investigate the possible crime.
Don't worry if you aren't sure the other driver is drunk. As long as you reported the driver in good faith and reasonably believe that they are intoxicated, you won't get in trouble if they pass the field sobriety test.
Speeding
It used to be hard to prove that the other driver was speeding, but this is no longer case. There may be a number of different sources of hard evidence that you can find. This might include dashcam video or cellphone GPS records. You want to try to find this information if possible because, even if you made a mistake, the accident might have still been caused by the other driver's speed.
Distractions
Distracted driving is another common source of accidents that may be hard to prove. If the distraction causes a rear-end collision, there's no doubt about what happened. The problem is when another driver drifts into your lane and then tries to blame you.
Proving that the other driver was distracted can clarify that they were to blame. This might range from getting cellphone records to taking a picture of the fast-food bag in their front seat.
Illness
Another driver being sick isn't their fault, but their choice to drive anyway is. Illnesses can reduce reaction times and cause mental fatigue. Medications can also reduce a driver's ability to drive in a safe manner. Depending on the illness, this could be effectively the same as driving drunk.
If you believe the other driver was ill, you can use witness statements from the scene. If necessary in a serious accident, your attorney can also help you subpoena any relevant medical records showing their fitness to drive.
To learn more about how to prove your claim and how a car accident injury attorney can help, contact a local law firm.