If you are injured in a car accident, there are several things you have to do. You need to call 911 so that emergency medical technicians and police officers can be dispatched to the scene. You also have to take photographs of the scene, road conditions, and weather conditions. Also, according to experienced attorneys, when experiencing car accidents Detroit Michigan, you have to look for credible witnesses.
The problem is that the witnesses you find need to be credible for the jury or the judge. If this is not the case, your entire claim will be damaged. You might even end up faced with denial. Always trust your accident lawyer when determining who you can trust as a witness and who you cannot.
What Factors Will Impact The Credibility Of Your Witness?
You need to think about several things when assessing witness credibility. This includes some very obvious things like relationships with accident victims, criminal records, and whether or not the view was obstructed during the accident. At the same time, there are some other factors that will make the witness a lot less credible in accident claims. This includes things like:
- The hostility of the witness when providing statements.
- Inconsistent statement details.
- The witness just saw the accident’s aftermath, not the entire incident.
- The vantage point of the witness makes it very difficult to have seen the car accident.
- The witness was actually involved.
- The police saw that the witness was confused.
- The witness was previously convicted.
- The witness is a friend of the victim.
- There was distraction involved.
- The witness was affected by alcohol or drugs as the accident happened.
- The witness’ eyesight is poor or there is impaired hearing evolved.
How Should You Speak To The Witness?
Approaching eyewitnesses can be done in a good or bad way. You have to be careful when you approach anyone present at the site of an accident. Following the incident, tensions can be very high. This is especially the case when serious injuries and extensive property damage appear. Even so, you should make sure that you do not aggressively approach the witness.
Whenever witnesses feel pressured, there is a good possibility cooperation will not be a reality. When you manage to approach the victim in a respectful and calm way, there is a much higher possibility that the witness will offer a statement that is fully credible and cooperation is also more likely. Whenever you talk with a witness, remember this:
- Always ask for details to be written down.
- When not comfortable, ask for permission so you can write down the statement. Then, the witness should make sure to review and sign. Keep in mind that a written statement does not have to be notarized.
It is also possible that the driver that was at fault can help the case of the injured driver when a statement is made and the fault is implied in it. As an example, when apologizing for the fact that the driver did not see the victim, it can really help the case.