Are Witness Statements Really That Important After a Car Accident?

As cautious as you are on the road, you may be involved in a car accident when you least expect it. One minute you’re driving and the next, you are part of an auto accident. One thing that many drivers and their lawyers ask themselves is if the witness statements will come in handy when filing the car accident claim. Certainly yes. We’ll look at how to obtain witness statements after a car accident and why they are considered important.

How to obtain witness statements after a car accident

When the accident occurs, don’t rush to leave the scene unless you’re seriously injured or hurt. It is highly recommended that you get a statement from a few people who witnessed the whole incident at the scene of the accident. Write down the witness accounts and ensure you get their contact information and if possible, convince them to testify in court.

An easy way to record the witness accounts is to use your phone or a recording device. Ask them to clearly state what they saw or heard. If there is a witness who believes that someone was at fault, make sure they say this on record and explain why they think it is the case.

Though witness accounts can be used by the judges and jury when reviewing a car accident case, it’s not that they will look at the accident from the witnesses’ perspective. One thing they will want to find out is if the witnesses’ story aligns with yours so that they don’t question the credibility of your story. The more witness statements you get the better especially if the statement is in line with your version of what took place during the car accident.

Enhance credibility with witness statements

Witness statements can really help to make your claim more credible. This is only the case if the version of events given by the witnesses coincides with your own. When it comes to legal matters, credibility is an important consideration when determining negligence. If there are no witness statements it means the court will consider your word against the driver or victim.

Get a more accurate picture of the accident scene

Perhaps you didn’t get a chance to take photographs of the accident scene at the time of the incident. Without photographic evidence, it’s hard to get a picture of the scene. Witnesses can come in handy because they help to paint a picture of the accident scene. This is very important in establishing negligence. In fact, witnesses can help to support your claims of injury by detailing your actions and behavior at the time of the collision. If it was the driver’s fault, witness statements can help the court to establish liability. In the event where the other driver was injured, witness statements can help to discredit the driver’s injury if he/she was walking or even running after the accident. There are some at-fault drivers who will fake an injury to escape liability. Witness statements can help you to address this issue.