The Importance of Keeping Accurate Records After a Car Accident
Auto accidents cause stress, pain, and can do some damage to your bank account. Recovering from an accident should not be a challenge all its own, and that is why keeping accurate records of the incident is an important aspect of your potential claim. If you are injured in an accident, the first step is to obtain help and seek medical attention. After that, you should consult a trustworthy car accident attorney about how to keep accurate records.
Types of Records to Hold Onto
The four types of records you should be sure to keep safe post-accident are for your car repair, medical treatment, employment, and income. The car repair records are bills for any damages caused to your vehicle, which can help your case for compensation. Be sure to obtain statements from your car insurance company, as it can help to know your car’s pre-accident value. As for medical records, these can help make the case for medical expense compensation. Medical records comprise treatments such as ambulance bills, diagnostic tests, doctor appointments, and therapy sessions. These examples can prove future losses to your quality of life due to the losses.
After a car accident, it might be a while before you can return to work due to injuries. Calculating lost wages from work can be done with recent pay stubs and W2 forms from around three to six months before the accident occurred. Be sure to collect income records and show them on bank statements, including but not limited to savings, investments, and profit statements from business accounts. Financial records show that you have suffered extreme losses.
Photographic Evidence
Photo and video evidence can help visualize the context of the accident and the harm that you suffered. It offers credibility to your case which can be valuable if it gets to a jury trial.
Police Reports
A police report can make or break your case because it is one of the essential documents that state the facts of the accident. These police reports contain eyewitness accounts, contact information, and a supposedly unbiased description of the car accident. They are typically not permitted in court but can be used through the claims process. It is simple to obtain a copy of your police report, and you need the reference number, which you should ask for from the officer who showed up at the car accident scene.
Organizing Your Records
Throughout the process of collecting your records, it is essential to stay organized so that you do not end up losing any records. This will also allow them to be easily accessible for your personal injury attorney.
Finding an attorney who can understand how to calculate your losses using these records is essential. Contact our office today to speak to a team member from The Umansky Law Firm about what steps you need to take to prepare for a claim.
