One of the keys to success in handling a personal injury claim or workers’ compensation claim is having the evidence to prove how and why the accident occurred.
Hi, I’m Charles Naylor. I’m a Maritime Personal Injury Lawyer, and I can tell you from 30-plus years of experience handling these claims, there are some simple things that you can do at the scene of an accident to help your lawyer prove your claim.
First, take pictures of everything involved in the accident. Don’t skimp. You can never take too many pictures, but you can miss something important if you’re not thorough.
If your injury happened at work, you may not have a regular camera with you. But remember, most cell phones today have cameras built in, and if yours doesn’t, perhaps somebody on the job with you has one that does.
And if a camera isn’t available, contact your union business agent, and ask him or her to come out and take pictures of the accident scene. Remember, you’ll only have one chance to take pictures at the accident scene.
The second thing to do is to get contact information for all witnesses and everyone who was at the scene of the accident. Get names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses if you can.
There’s no way that you can know on the day of an accident what issues may be in dispute months, or even years, later, or who heard something, or saw something that may become important.
If you don’t have accurate and thorough contact information, you may not be able to find that critical witness when you need them.
Of course, the accident victim isn’t always able to take pictures or gather contact information.
The unfortunate reality is, is that in serious injury cases, the victim is usually incapacitated.
If that happens to you or to a loved one, you need to contact an experienced Maritime Injury Lawyer as soon as possible, so that the attorney can gather the evidence and information that is available, and preserve it for you.
