Why You Should Be Collecting Evidence
Michael Babboni
Car Accidents
A long time ago, being able to document an accident or crime was challenging. Many cases ended up being a simple battle of “my word against yours”. This was especially true for personal injury cases where the wounds may have healed by the time you actually went to court. However, thanks to technology, these troubles are certainly a thing of the past.The Benefits Of Technology
Nowadays, collecting evidence is easier than ever. Thanks to smartphones and tablets, just about everyone has a camera handy to take photos or even videos to get the evidence. Phones aside, most public places come handy with cameras watching and recording everything that goes on. Some even come with audio recording devices that can further back your claim.
Not only do all these advancements make it easier for you, but also for police as well. It can be challenging to understand just what exactly happened in an accident and even those involved may be in too much shock to fully grasp it themselves. However, with the abundance of cameras around, police can now see exactly what went down and understand who or what triggered it.
Documenting The Truth
So collecting evidence is easier than ever, but why should you? Having evidence is crucial to understanding what exactly happened and what the cause of it was. Even if you are only a witness, you should always document an injury incident. Evidence, specially photo or video evidence can give immediate proof and can easily foil false claims. For example, the other driver may accuse you of improper driving, but if there is some surveillance footage around you can easily prove this to be false. Another example could be that the defendant claims that your car was not seriously harmed by the accident. However, with just a few pictures of the damage you have irrefutable proof of the wreckage.
Not only does this prove what happened, but it also ensures that you get the financial compensation you deserve. Accidents are already expensive and going to court isn't exactly cheap either. Without proof of the extent of your injuries and damages, you may find bills pilling up for an accident that was someone else's fault. A single picture could be the difference between you falling into debt and being able to heal in peace.
Knowing Who Is At Fault
So why is it so important to find out whose fault it is? Firstly, if someone's actions or negligence caused the accident, they need to accept that responsibility. No matter how much they may promise to tell the truth or pay you back for what occurred, most will not be honest in court about how it happened and may even blame the victim for the accident. By having some evidence handy, you keep yourself safe from additional harm and ensure that the truth will be heard.
That aside, if this “cause” is something that may be repeated, you owe it to yourself or the victim to get it fixed as soon as possible. Otherwise, this could happen again and again. Your little piece of evidence may be the key to protecting others from the same or worse fate. For example, if the driver was drunk at the time of the accident, what is to stop them from doing it again? By providing evidence of their actions or negligence during the accident, you better the chance of that driver never repeating that mistake again.
The same goes for other situations as well. If you got injured or sick from a hazardous environment or defective product, your evidence may be the only thing that causes it to get fixed and prevent others from harm. It's not about pointing the finger. It's about protecting yourself and others from the harm of someone else's actions or neglect.