Gather Your Facts: Help Your Car Accident Case With Useful Information

If you have been in a car accident, it's important to understand what information you need in order to provide a clear picture of your case. When you have been injured by a negligent driver, the exchange of information between the two of you is only the beginning. While you will get information about their name, address, and insurance provider, the accident report will give you more useful facts if you are thinking about filing a personal injury lawsuit.

The Accident Report

When the police are called to an accident, they always write an accident report. This report will include contact information for all parties involved in the accident, what the officer believed caused the accident, and what the officer discovered when they arrived on the scene. If there were any witnesses interviewed, this will be included as part of the accident report. While some people decide not to call the authorities because the accident doesn't seem bad enough, if you are hurt in any capacity, it's critical to call the police to come investigate the scene.

The accident report will also contain information that describes the road conditions at the time of the accident, if the roads were wet or icy, and it will describe the weather at the time. Many times, the accident report will determine who is at fault for the accident, a critical piece of information for any personal injury lawsuit.

Your Medical Records

When you are filing a personal injury lawsuit because of an accident, you must be able to prove that your injuries were a direct result of the accident that you were in. When you are hurt, you must seek medical treatment for your injuries. Waiting for treatment because you aren't sure how bad your injuries are indicates a less severe injury from the start. As you go for medical treatment, make sure that you save any visit summaries and treatment recommendations for your own personal medical file. While you will still request your entire medical record if you file a personal injury lawsuit, your visit summaries will be useful information to bring to an attorney for an initial consultation.

As you prepare for an initial consultation with a car accident lawyer to discuss your personal injury case, the more information you can provide to the attorney, the better they will be able to assess your case for its viability. Gather your facts together and be prepared to talk about the accident that occurred.