When someone decides to file a civil claim for compensation after an accident, one of the ingredients for success is having the right evidence to prove the case. Without evidence, the defendant might not settle and a jury might not be able to award damages. There are numerous pieces of evidence in Manchester pedestrian accident cases that could be used to bolster your claim. Speak to an experienced pedestrian accident attorney to learn what you should be looking for.
Conducting Investigations
Police have resources to help gather evidence such as traffic cams, search warrants, and the ability to put car repair shops on notice. They also have the ability to conduct investigatory tactics based upon cell phone usage data that the public does not have access to. In a hit and run accident, the police might be the only ones who are in a position to identify the driver.
Police are good for investigating crimes but they are not looking to establish liability or the facts of a non-criminal accident. A personal injury lawyer, by contrast, could conduct an investigation by looking at the case with an eye towards liability and following a civil standard. It is possible for a lawyer and the police to work in conjunction but a competent lawyer will not rely solely on a police report as the final word on all information related to a case.
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Unique Pieces of Evidence to Investigate
The sequence and timing of traffic lights could be an important piece of evidence in a local pedestrian crash if it can provide clarity on which party had the right of way to move through an intersection. Security camera footage from nearby businesses and dash cams can also be important. Increasingly, some people run with GoPro cameras attached to them, which could be an invaluable resource for recreating the accident.
If an accident occurred near a bus stop, there might be witnesses who use that location to commute every day, which might allow investigators the opportunity to find them again and ask about their knowledge of the incident. The commuters may not have been identified as a potential witness if the police arrived after the bus had departed.
How Can Someone Collect Evidence if a Driver Fled the Scene?
There are occasions where a walker or jogger is struck by a car which flees the scene afterward. While it would be helpful to make note of their license plate or car model, the most important thing to do in that situation is to seek help immediately. The injured person or someone else nearby should call for medical assistance if the injury is severe enough.
After that, they should contact the police to make a record of the accident and to allow them to open an investigation into identifying the driver. The police may be able to go to body shops to see if there are any cars that have been damaged in ways that are consistent with the accident. Getting a car repaired is an important piece of evidence that must be documented.
If further resources are needed, the injured person or their lawyer could hire a private investigator to see if there were any nearby homes or businesses that had security footage capture the incident.
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Should a Plaintiff Disclose Evidence to an Insurance Company?
Only after talking to a lawyer should a person disclose accident information to the other party’s insurance company. The insurance company has one goal in mind, which is protecting their money and avoiding paying out any sort of claim, if possible. They are not interested in determining proper liability or helping a plaintiff recover financially. It is important to have a lawyer in Manchester who could act as the intermediary and discuss the pedestrian accident case without revealing crucial information such as evidence that they have collected.
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Find an Attorney to Gather Evidence in a Manchester Pedestrian Accident
If the defendant’s team sees that you have a healthy amount of evidence to back up your claim, they may be more likely to agree to a settlement. Sometimes the evidence in a Manchester pedestrian accident is difficult to acquire, which is where the police and a lawyer could be of assistance. Contact one now to discuss your case and how you are best positioned to receive financial relief.
