Evidence is critical in proving fault in an accident. When you suffer an accident in Charlotte, North Carolina, you may seek compensatory damages. Before you do so, you will need to prove that the other driver’s negligence caused the crash. This is possible by presenting relevant evidence that backs up your claim. A Charlotte car accident lawyer can advise you on what type of evidence can strengthen and support your claim.
Most of the evidence that plays a decisive role in car accident claims is found on the scene of the crash. This is one reason why police reports are so important. When law enforcement officers arrive on a crash scene, they are able to take stock of this on-site evidence. Such evidence may include skid marks on the road, damage to nearby objects such as poles and concrete barriers, damage to the vehicles, and so on.
In many ways, police reports are very useful in preserving crucial evidence by taking note of it in a formal report. However, there are other pieces of evidence that may get lost if you don’t act in a timely manner. Here are some ways you can achieve this.
Take On-Site Photos and Videos
This is one of the best ways of preserving the visible evidence from a crash scene. If you are conscious and able to move after a crash, you can take photos and videos of the scene with your mobile phone camera. These photos and videos serve as immensely valuable evidence for your claim.
However, it is important that you know what information to capture in your photos and videos. You should aim to capture visible damage to vehicles, any visible injuries, the surrounding landscape of the accident, and skid marks on the road. You may also take witness statements on video if any eyewitnesses are willing.
Get CCTV Footage
Sometimes, an accident is captured on video by a nearby CCTV camera. You can request the owner of the property to provide you a copy of the CCTV video. Most of the time, it is a good idea to let an attorney make this request so that the owner feels obliged to provide the evidence.
Get Dashcam Footage
Dash cameras in the vehicles involved in the crash are able to capture the accident as well as the events leading up to the crash. This is particularly true in the case of commercial trucks, many of which have dash-cams. If any of the vehicles involved in your accident have dashcams, make sure you retrieve the footage.
You will need to make a formal request to get this footage. The trucking company may try to baulk at your request, especially when the truck driver is responsible for the crash. As with CCTV footage, you will typically need the help of a qualified lawyer to ensure that you are able to get this footage.
Black Box Data
Most commercial trucks have on-board black boxes, a kind of equipment that records the truck’s performance. The data from the box contains information about the braking and speeding events before the crash as well as other valuable data. This data can be used to prove whether a truck driver was speeding, driving recklessly, or failed to brake in time.
Trucking companies do not easily share data from the black box. This is why you will need to make a formal legal request within a 30-day period to make sure this data is not lost for good.
Anti-Spoliation Letter
In many cases, you may not be able to immediately get evidence related to a car accident. For instance, the trucking company may use delaying tactics when asked to hand over black box data. When this is the case, you can have your lawyer send an anti-spoliation letter to the party holding the evidence.
This letter legally bars the party with evidence from tampering with it or wasting it. The party that receives the letter is thus bound to preserve it until you can get a subpoena for the evidence.
How Can a Charlotte Car Accident Lawyer Help?
If you have been involved in a Charlotte car accident, you should get legal help at the earliest. Here at Ted Greve & Associates, our lawyers help you bring together relevant evidence and file a claim for damages. We also negotiate with other parties involved in the crash as well as third-party entities to recover the relevant evidence. Our ultimate aim is to help you secure the maximum amount of compensatory damages. Reach out to us now to discuss your Charlotte crash claim with our lawyers.
