When you’ve been in a car accident in Iowa, you can’t rely on the police to record all the necessary information to support your Iowa personal injury claim. Auto accident investigations are usually near the bottom of law enforcement’s priority list unless someone was killed.
After a non-fatal car crash, police officers are often too busy to write down every witness name or each accident detail. You’d be amazed at all the important information that does not end up in a typical Iowa auto accident report.
You Can Only Rely on Yourself to Collect the Evidence You Need
Protect yourself after a crash by collecting evidence to prove the other driver was at fault. Any car accident involving significant property damage or personal injury requires action on your part – don’t assume anyone will do it for you.
The First 3 Steps to Take After a Crash
- Don’t let your claim become a “he said, she said” situation between you and the other Collect names and phone numbers for every person who witnessed the crash or arrived on the scene soon afterwards. These are the people who can help you prove that the other person forgot to signal, did not stop, or was texting while driving.It is also helpful to take down the names of any law enforcement officers who question you or any first responders who examine you.
- Write down everything you remember about the crash as soon as you get home. Draw a picture of the scene. Make notes about the time of day, weather, road conditions and what you saw and heard. These notes will be useful if the other driver’s auto insurance company tries to deny responsibility for the crash. It is a lot easier to come up with important details if you write them down while the auto accident is still fresh in your mind.
- Take photos of everything. Â A picture is worth a thousand words and photographs can provide undeniable proof of how the crash occurred, how the vehicles were damaged and how you were injured.
Insurance corporations will only compensate a car accident victim for harms and losses that can be documented. For that reason, photographs taken after a car accident can play a vital role in your insurance claim.
Like many things in life, the timing of these photos is critical. Cuts and bruises will heal. Vehicles will be repaired. Skid marks on the road will fade away. Unfortunately, most car accident victims don’t think about getting the necessary photographs taken until it is too late.
These are just first three things that car accident victims should do if they want to be paid fairly after a car wreck. To find out the rest of the eight simple steps to take after a crash, use the form on this page to download your copy of The Law Guide to Iowa Car Accident Claims.
READY TO TALK TO AN IOWA CAR ACCIDENT ATTORNEY NOW?
You can get your personal injury questions answered by the attorneys who wrote the book on Iowa car accident claims by calling 1-319-519-4193.
