After a car accident, you may want to collect as much evidence as you can so you can support your version of the events that occurred. However, depending on where the accident occurred, you might be worried about your personal safety. Fortunately, if you don't feel safe when exiting your vehicle, you can still rely on an auto accident attorney to get to the bottom of what happened.
Busy Streets and Highways
It might be too dangerous to get out of your car on a busy street or highway because cars might be driving too fast. You might be placed at risk of suffering further injuries. Taking photographs can be very helpful during your personal injury case, but you will not want to place yourself in harm's way. If necessary, an attorney may be able to find other ways for you to prove your version of the events.
Instead, you will want to get your vehicle out of the path of oncoming traffic. If there is a nearby parking lot, consider moving into the parking lot. If there is a shoulder nearby, you will want to move to the shoulder. However, make sure that your actions will not be interpreted as you fleeing the scene. Turn on your hazard lights. If you have an emergency kit, use your road flares.
Be Careful at Night
Drivers are less likely to notice you at night and you should not rely on drivers to drive defensively. Many drivers are very distracted and might not see you. The drivers are even less likely to see a broken-down car and might even crash into your vehicle. If you are involved in an accident, you might still have a case against that particular driver who wasn't showing due care when passing your broken-down vehicle.
You might wonder if you should get out of your car at all. If your car door is facing oncoming traffic, you may want to crawl to the other side of your vehicle to exit from the other side. Then, you may be able to exit your vehicle, take photographs, and exchange insurance information.
If you are able to remain safe, obtaining information from the scene of the accident can be very useful because you will need to prove liability. Even if you are injured, you will not be able to receive compensation for your injuries unless your auto accident attorney is able to prove that the other party was liable.
To learn more about what kinds of evidence can be used for your personal injury case, contact a lawyer like Cok Kinzler PLLP to learn more.
Share22 January 2021
Did you know that many personal injury and car accident cases do not even end up being heard in front of a judge or jury? That's because most defendants would rather settle out of court so that they do not have to go through the expense and annoyance of a lengthy court battle. Personal injury attorneys need to be prepared for this. In addition to being ready to defend their clients in court, they need to be skilled negotiators. As you can see, this is a job that requires many diverse skills! Learn more about those skills, and about personal injury attorneys in general, right here on this site.