Make or Break Your Case
Evidence disappears fast. Here’s what to protect before it’s gone for good.
My ears are still ringing. My hands won’t stop shaking. Somewhere behind me, a stranger is asking if I’m okay, and I’m not entirely sure how to answer. Lets face it – there’s no easy checklist that tells you how to react when you’re hit by another driver.
But what happens in the next 24 hours after a car crash often decides what happens to your claim months later.
The Myth: “The Insurance Company Will Sort It Out Fairly”
A lot of people assume that because insurance companies are supposed to pay claims, they’ll naturally investigate a crash fairly and thoroughly. They don’t. Insurance adjusters are trained to gather facts that reduce what their company pays, and they move quickly. If you’re not gathering your own evidence just as fast, you’re relying entirely on someone else’s version of what happened to you.
What Disappears Fast
Skid marks fade within days. Traffic camera footage often gets overwritten within a week or two. Witnesses who saw everything clearly today may not remember the details, or may not answer their phone, a month from now. Vehicles get towed, repaired, or scrapped before anyone thinks to inspect them for damage patterns or black box data.
Once it’s gone, it’s gone. There’s no getting it back.
What Actually Helps Your Case
If you’re physically able, here’s what matters most in those first hours and days:
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- Call 911 immediately and report the crash and your location.
- Photograph everything. Video is better, if you can get it. Both vehicles, the road, skid marks, debris, traffic signals, and your visible injuries, from multiple angles and distances. Sometimes drivers will move their vehicles – that could be a problem as the risk is losing evidence of the location and position of a vehicle.
- Get names and phone numbers for every witness, not just the ones who talk to police. Ask witnesses to put their name, number, and what they say and heard on a note in your phone and save it.
- Request the police report, 911 call recording, and police dispatch log. These often capture details that never make it into the written report.
- See a doctor the same day, even if you feel “okay.” Adrenaline masks pain, and a gap between the crash and your first medical visit gives insurers an opening to argue your injury came from somewhere else.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company before talking to an attorney.
Why This Matters for Your Loved Ones, Too
If someone you love was hurt and can’t gather this evidence themselves, you can do it for them. A family member or friend can take photos and help gather evidence early on, and they can call me to talk about it and let us offer additional suggestions. If it’s a good fit and you decide to hire, we’re equipped to begin an investigation ourselves on your or your loved one’s behalf and take a load off when they’re recovering.
Talk to someone before you talk to the insurance company. At Pacyga Trial Lawyers, we know how to help you talk to insurance. Call us at 612-339-5844 to talk about what happened and what to do next.