If you’re driving, and another vehicle hits you, maybe you won’t sustain any injuries, and perhaps your car won’t suffer very much damage either. However, sometimes, an accident can cause long-lasting or even permanent physical issues. It may also total your car or cause thousands of dollars in damage.
If another driver hits you and you feel you must sue them to recoup the money you spent fixing your car, paying doctor bills, or that you couldn’t earn because you missed work, then it’s crucial you win your lawsuit. Without that money, you might very well drain your entire savings account. If you’re sure the other driver caused the wreck, though, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t bring a civil action against them.
In this article, we’ll talk about strategies that make it much more likely you’ll win your lawsuit. While there is never any guarantee of a legal victory when you involve a jury, if you follow these tips, it is probable you will see a positive result.
Provide a Copy of the Car Crash Report
First, you should never ignore the indispensable role of car crash reports in accident claims. Any time a vehicle hits your car, you must call the police. Failing that, you must have the other driver, a pedestrian, or someone else do it.
The police must fill out an accident report when they arrive at the scene. This report will include your name and that of the other driver. It will include your license plate numbers and insurance information. It will also include details about what happened.
This report will often come into play if you file a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver. If they try to say something different happened than what actually occurred, your lawyer can show the jury the police report. It will presumably back up what you say happened and strengthen your position during the trial.
Get a Copy of Medical Documentation That Proves Your Injury Status
You should also get a copy of any medical documentation that mentions your injuries. Maybe, if you’re suing the other driver, you’re partially doing so because they severely injured you when they hit your vehicle. If that happened, the medical documentation proving it will come in handy during the trial.
Showing the jury a doctor’s report that says you sustained cuts, abrasions, bruising, broken bones, or other injuries after the accident will portray you in a sympathetic light. It makes it clear you’re telling the truth about the damage the other driver did.
If you can show the jury these documents, that’s helpful, but you might also enter into evidence any pictures you took of your injuries right after they occurred. Those will show even more clearly the damage the other driver inflicted. A jury can’t help but let that kind of visual evidence affect them.
Find any Eyewitnesses Who Saw What Happened and Put Them on the Stand
Maybe you can find some eyewitnesses who saw the car crash when it happened. You can’t always find any, particularly if you and the other driver hit each other on some deserted highway in the middle of the night. If the other driver struck your car with many eyewitnesses around, though, you can probably locate some and call them to the stand without much trouble.
When they’re up there, your lawyer can ask them what they saw. If they had a clear view of the wreck and saw the other driver do something illegal or reckless that caused the accident, the jury will take that as further proof that the other driver should pay you damages in the interest of justice.
Hire the Right Lawyer
Speaking of your lawyer, you need the right one if you are going to walk away with a settlement or a jury’s decision in your favor. To win a civil action, you must locate a lawyer who knows all about this area of the law. You can usually find attorneys with no issues, but you need one who does civil cases and has plenty of experience with them.
When you’re looking for a lawyer after you’ve decided you’ll sue the driver who hit your car, ask around and see if anyone you know has a recommendation. Maybe you have a friend, relative, or coworker who sued an individual or company at some point, and they liked the lawyer they used.
If you can’t get a recommendation, look around online and do some research. You must find a personal injury lawyer with plenty of positive feedback. The more five-star reviews they have, the better.
When you meet with the lawyer for the first time, you should also ensure they seem trustworthy. If they won’t answer your question or seem shifty, go with someone else. Without an experienced, trustworthy lawyer, you likely won’t win your case, even if you’re certain the other driver caused the wreck.
Tell the Truth on the Stand
There’s one additional tip you should keep in mind as you go into a civil case against a driver who hit your car. You should tell the truth and nothing but the truth if you take the stand.
There’s no guarantee that you will take the stand and testify during a civil trial. Usually, you’ll do so if you feel that your testimony will help your case. Maybe you think that if you get up in front of a jury and tell them in your own words how badly this car crash injured and traumatized you, they’re more likely to return the verdict you want.
However, know that if you do that, the defendant’s lawyer can question you as well. If they do, make sure you keep your composure and only tell the truth. If you don’t know the answer to something, say you don’t know it. Don’t try to fabricate an answer.
By following these tips, it is highly likely you’ll win your car accident lawsuit.