Tips on documenting a personal injury in Miami
Miami, FL – When you’re injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence you have the right to file a personal injury claim and get compensated for all your damages, which include your financial losses as well as your pain and suffering. The basis for all personal injury claims is proving that the party you hold responsible acted with negligence. This fundamental principle applies to any type of accident you can think of:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Boat accidents
- Amusement park accidents
- Slip and falls
- Defective products causing injury
- Nursing home neglect or abuse
If you or someone you love sustained severe injuries, your first step is to talk to an experienced Miami personal injury lawyer. Your attorneys will do most of the work when it comes to gathering proof, but there are certain things you must do yourself. Your lawyers won’t be present at the scene of the accident when it happens, so it is in your best interests to collect and preserve any type of evidence that might be useful later on.
Get plenty of photos
If you are at all able to remain at the scene for a while, use this time to take photos. For instance, if you’re in a car accident, photograph the vehicles involved and use wide-shots to capture their position. Take photos of the damages to the vehicle and of any visible injuries you may have. Snap a few pictures or record a video of the other driver as well. These may come in handy to prove the guy was intoxicated. If possible, take photos of incriminating evidence in his car – alcohol containers, drug paraphernalia, or even a phone dropped on his seat, which can be used in a distracted driving case.
If you suffer an injury in a vacation resort, take photos of the scene trying to capture the conditions that caused the accident – wet floor, missing guardrails, broken stairs or light bulbs, debris-strewn alleys, etc.
Your lawyers will certainly visit the scene themselves, but you can expect the owner of the premises to remedy the problem immediately to avoid a lawsuit.
Talk to witnesses
Granted it may not be the best time for conversations with strangers, but those present at the scene may have noticed useful things, which your accident attorneys can use to prove it was a case of negligence. For instance, maybe someone can testify they saw the trucker with a phone in his hand, which is illegal. Or maybe they saw the other driver throwing a bag with some beer cans in a ditch. You should ask permission to record the conversations. Don’t forget to get their names and contact information so your attorneys can get a sworn statement or summon them to testify in court.
Look for surveillance cameras
These can be very useful if they have captured the accident. When they visit the scene, your lawyers will try to identify all the public and private surveillance cameras and request access to the footage from the day of the accident. This should be done sooner rather than later as the footage on these devices is regularly deleted to make space.
If you were recently injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer at the Madalon Law firm and start preparing your claim.
Contact info:
Phone : (877) 486-2883
Miami Office
150 SE 2nd Ave, Suite 300
Miami FL 33131
