What should one worry more about in the event an accident occurs? Is it investigation of the cause of the accident and compensation or seeking medical attention immediately one is injured? Most individuals who are involved in auto accidents seek medical assistance and give less weight to investigations. Investigations are important especially in offsetting the medical bills of the injured individuals. Police and insurance companies carry their own separate investigations. In case you are involved in an accident, it is important that you contact a private investigator or an attorney to do your own investigation keep a record of the evidence in case need arises.
What is the objective of investigations?
The ultimate goal of investigations is to establish the cause of an accident and keep important evidence that can be used in the process of negotiation for compensation. Insurance companies have strict policies that call for thorough investigations before compensation is made. Such policies easily give the insurance companies an opportunity to decline a claim that lacks proper evidence. Investigations also help in checking whether traffic cameras and CCTVS captured or recorded the road carnage. Police carry out narrow investigations whose main aim is to find out the nature of crime committed including reckless driving. Investigations carried by insurance companies or individuals focus on finding out who is to blame for the accident.
What entails proper investigations?
A good investigation starts from visiting the accident scene. The preliminary stages of investigations involve using a tape measure to estimate the speed of the vehicles involved in the accident. They can also measure the skid marks.
Investigators carefully examine the vehicles to find out any possible failure that may have led to the occurrence of the accident. During such examinations, experts may find problems such as failure of breaks, blown out tires, and headlights failure. Cross-examining the vehicle wrecks will be of help in case there is need to mount a liability case.
Besides studying the accident scene and investigating the vehicles involved, investigators also interview witnesses. Witnesses are the people who saw the accident happening or arrived shortly after the incident. They may give useful information that investigators need to establish the cause of the accident. They may also capture photos of the scene of the accident and later use them as evidence either in court or elsewhere where they might be needed.
Seek the services of an experienced lawyer
Some accidents are obvious and do not require the injured person to hire an attorney. However, for one to understand the compensation procedures and avoid exploitation, they should hire an attorney. Personal injury attorney understands how to handle such cases to ensure that their clients get the right compensation. They understand all types of accidents ranging from rear collision to rollovers. They carry out the investigations and help the injured individuals in filling out the claim forms. Contacting an experienced attorney will not only increase your chances of getting better compensation but also relieve you the burden of negotiation with the insurance companies. The attorney will do everything for you.
An experienced lawyer should have the following qualities:
> Good communication skills.
> Good listening skills.
> Able to make reasonable and logical assumptions.
> Good analytical skills.
> Good research skills.
> Be creative.