The Importance of Preserving Evidence in a New Jersey Car Accident Case

Collecting evidence is crucial to your case if you’ve been in a car accident due to someone else’s fault. 

If you were unable to collect evidence when the accident happened, you still have hope for receiving money damages to help with your injuries and losses. If you’re looking for someone to help you after a car accident, you’ve come to the right place. 

The best way to preserve evidence is to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as possible whose law firm has a proven track record of winning personal injury cases on behalf of their clients. Our 45 years of experience have taught us exactly what needs to be done. Our lawyers, who are experienced in car accidents and truck accidents, know how to preserve evidence before it disappears, contact witnesses while the memory is fresh, and fully document the scene so it can be reconstructed before a jury.

Our $1 billion track record of success in helping more than 35,000 families achieve justice speaks for itself. Contact Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C. today to speak with a New Jersey car accident lawyer and learn more about how we can help. 

Why Is Preserving Evidence in a New Jersey Car Accident Case Important?

Preserving evidence in a car accident case is important because it makes it possible for victims to prove what happened. If you sustain severe injuries or property damage, you could be entitled to seek money from the at-fault driver. Documenting the accident scene, collecting witness statements, and keeping medical records enables you to establish the facts of your case. Strong evidence can support your claim for the funds you need to cover all your crash-related expenses and losses.

If you were involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle like a truck or bus, some of the evidence that needs to be preserved is the bus or truck’s dash cam, the data recorder aka black box, which keeps track of time, speed, and braking records.

Photos Can Provide Invaluable Evidence

Pictures can provide some of the most important evidence in a car accident claim. They can be invaluable as your lawyer advocates for your right to recover compensation. Specifically, photographs can show:

• Damage to vehicles
• Injuries to persons
• Environmental factors that may have played a role in the accident
• Additional information for an accident reconstruction expert to use to help prove your case.

You should take as many photographs as you can. You should document all of the following when you are photographing the scene of the crash:

• Interior and exterior vehicle damage, including to damage to your own vehicle and the other driver’s vehicle
• Specific bodily injuries at the time of the crash
• Specific bodily injuries during the healing process
• Any debris on the road
• Any skid marks on the road near the crash
• Traffic lights or traffic signs
• Construction zone signage
• Construction materials or any hazard cones or markers
• Evidence of inclement weather (such as rain puddles or fog)
• License plates of all vehicles involved.

Examples of Car Accident Evidence

Some key examples of evidence that could be useful in your claim include:

• Photographs—Photos can illustrate the severity of the crash and show factors like skid marks or road signs that might have influenced the accident.
• Witness Statements—Witnesses can independently confirm important details, such as the speed of the vehicles, traffic light status, and the driver’s actions before the crash.
• Physical Evidence—Physical items like broken car parts or debris from the crash can support claims about the impact and circumstances of the accident. 
• Video Footage—Videos can provide real-time evidence of the crash dynamics and compelling proof for verifying or disputing claims about how the accident occurred.
• Medical Records—Medical records can link your injuries to the accident and document their extent and severity, which is essential for validating claims for medical expenses.
• Motor vehicle data recorders/black boxes—These devices can record valuable data such as vehicle speed, whether the driver applied brakes, which direction the steering wheel was turned, and more. This information is crucial when arguing that the other driver was at fault for the crash.

What If I Was Too Hurt to Collect Evidence?

If you were too hurt to collect evidence at the scene of a New Jersey car accident, don’t lose hope. Your health should always be the priority, and you still have options. For instance, you could ask someone else, like a friend or a witness, to take photos and gather information for you after the fact. Additionally, you can request a copy of the police accident report, which will include useful details about the accident. 

Finally, an experienced car accident attorney can request body camera video and audio from the accident scene captured by police officers’ vehicle dash cams and personal body cameras. Your lawyer will, if necessary, arrange for witnesses to be interviewed. 

How Can a Lawyer Help With My Car Accident Case?

In many cases, you may be unable to gather evidence yourself, especially in severe car accident cases. This is where an experienced attorney steps in. They can investigate the scene of the crash to piece together what happened. They can speak to nearby stores and businesses to collect surveillance footage. They can collect phone records to determine if the other driver was texting during the accident. An experienced firm can collect the evidence your case needs to determine fault.

They can also use the photos you take as evidence that the other driver was at fault in the crash, which can help as we seek compensation for your losses.

A lawyer can provide substantial support in your New Jersey car accident case. They will handle all the legal details while you focus on your physical recovery. They will gather and analyze evidence to strengthen your claim. They will also deal directly with insurers to keep the pressure off you. Additionally, if your case goes to court, your lawyer can represent you and argue persuasively for the results you deserve.

Contact Our New Jersey Car Accident Lawyers to Learn More

Do you need a trusted hand to help you after a car accident in New Jersey? If so, you’ve come to the right place. 

Reach out to Davis, Saperstein & Salomon, P.C., for a free initial consultation. We will collect valuable evidence, build a strong case on your behalf, and seek the money you need. There’s no charge to meet with us, and you won’t owe any fees unless we win.