The Evidence You Need to Prove Your Innocence After a Car Accident
A car accident can be costly in a variety of ways. One of those ways, of course, is the legal action that often entails after an accident. Once legal proceedings have begun, the aim is to find out precisely who is at fault. Most accidents are completely avoidable – which means that, most of the time, the accident was someone’s fault.
If you’re certain that you were not at fault and need to make sure that the authorities know who was at fault, then it’s in your best interest to do everything you can to actually prove it. Some of these suggestions are either things you needed to have done on the scene, or have had installed prior to the accident. So it’s best that you read a guide like this before you get into an accident!
Witnesses
People often completely forget about other people when they’re in a car accident. If the person wasn’t in one of the cars, or wasn’t injured as a result, they tend to dismiss them. This is a mistake: if anyone saw the accident itself, then they’re witnesses. On the scene, it’s vital that you try to get the contact information of anyone who may have seen what exactly happened. As with any kind of legal case, witnesses are one of the best ways to uncover the truth! It’s important to understand how witness credibility may affect a case, however.
CCTV
CCTV can definitely help you out, but actually getting the relevant footage is easier said than done. But you do have rights that will help you attain the footage if you know who owns the footage. The CCTV may have been public or private – the cameras of a nearby store may have caught the accident, for example. The police, or your lawyer, should be able to help you get that footage. It could be your best weapon against claims that the accident was your fault.
Dash cam
A dash cam – short for ‘dashboard camera’ – is one of the ultimate tools when it comes to these sorts of legal cases. For years, dash cams seemed to have been only used by the police. YouTube is filled with videos that come from the dash cams of police cars. But these cameras are now much more affordable and can be seen more frequently among regular drivers. These cameras can give you an advantage over CCTV in that they’re the closest representation of what you actually saw. If you’re thinking about investing in one, check out a car camera guide.
At the scene
The moments immediately following a crash can make or break this sort of case. Whether or not you attempt to contact the police can say a lot about the level of blame that may rest on you. The statements that both drivers give to the police when they do arrive is of the utmost importance, so make sure you just stick to the facts when it comes to these statements. Another thing: don’t apologize to the other driver after the crash! This can be taken as an admission of guilt that could disrupt your case.