Having a statement about the events that led up to a crash from an objective third party may be crucial to successfully recover compensation for your damages. However, obtaining that statement or getting an eyewitness to testify on your behalf on the record may be a complex matter.
Our vehicle accident attorneys in Charleston are prepared to help you obtain eyewitness statements to help strengthen your case.
We offer a free consultation to discuss your claim to see what legal options may be available to you and how we may be able to help you build a successful case to maximize your compensation.
Potential Eyewitnesses to an Accident
In general terms, anyone who witnessed an accident may be used as an eyewitness in an injury case. However, it is important to note that selecting the right eyewitness may help strengthen your claim or give the insurance company ammunition to hurt both your credibility and the credibility of your eyewitness.
Usually, the most credible eyewitnesses used in accident claims are third parties who saw the events that led up to the accident and the accident itself. This includes:
- People in nearby homes
- Other drivers on the road
- Passengers in other vehicles
- People inside nearby businesses
- Pedestrians in the vicinity of the crash
- Good Samaritans who stopped to help
People who witnessed events that led up to the accident may provide crucial testimony, as they may have witnessed a driver who was distracted due to texting, talking on their phone or simply not paying adequate attention to the roadway.
Can Testimony from Passengers in My Car Be Used?
While testimony from anyone who witnessed an accident or was involved in it may be essential to your injury claim, remember that testimony from passengers in your vehicle may be biased in your favor. The insurance company will be sure to emphasize that bias when arguing against your claim. They are likely to try and argue that passengers in your vehicle are exaggerating the actions of the other driver to help bolster a claim for compensation, as they would benefit from a successful case.
Fortunately, our attorneys have years of experience and are prepared for this argument from the insurance company, so it would be in your best interest to speak to one of our knowledgeable attorneys when dealing with the insurance company.
How Can I Obtain Eyewitness Testimony?
The most common way of obtaining a statement from an eyewitness is to do so at the scene of the accident. If you are not seriously injured, and it is safe to do so, speak to other drivers in the area who witnessed the crash and ask for their contact information and whether they would be willing to provide a statement about what they witnessed.
Since bystanders in the area may also be potential witnesses, it may also be helpful to try and get contact information from them. If it is safe to do so, speak to people in nearby homes or businesses and get their contact information so our attorneys can get an official statement from them about what they witnessed.
Unfortunately, there may be some circumstances in which the accident you were involved in resulted in serious injuries and you were taken from the scene in an ambulance, or you lost consciousness. Whatever the reason may be, the situation made it impossible to gather contact information while you were at the scene. This is when our attorneys may be able to help gather eyewitnesses information from police reports or by visiting the scene of the crash to speak with people who may have witnessed it.
Let Us Help. Call Today
Testimony from an eyewitness to your accident may help strengthen your claim for compensation. However, eyewitness testimony may be difficult to obtain, depending on the severity of your injuries, and the insurance company will likely try to diminish the witness’s credibility in the process of fighting your claim.
Our attorneys are prepared to help you get witness testimony and take on the insurance company on your behalf. Call us today to schedule a free consultation to discuss the facts of your claim and see what legal options may be available.
We do not charge you anything up front or while we work on your case. There is no risk to you.