After you are hurt because of someone else’s negligence, begin gathering evidence in support of your personal injury claim in Huntingdon Valley.
For personal injury claims to be successful, plaintiffs require evidence. In Huntingdon Valley, admissible evidence includes witness statements, photographs, medical records, and surveillance footage. Certain aspects of police reports are admissible in court, as well as correspondence, provided it can be authenticated. Uncovering evidence typically requires an investigation, which lawyers can begin immediately after you are injured. Depending on the reason for your personal injury claim le, available evidence might differ.
To discuss your case with the Huntingdon Valley, PA personal injury lawyers at The Reiff Law Firm, call now at (215) 709-6940.
Admissible Evidence in Huntingdon Valley, PA Personal Injury Cases
In order to be admissible in an injury claim, evidence must be relevant, material, and competent. Essentially, it must be reliable, pertinent to the case, and capable of proving facts related to the case. Several key pieces of evidence are admissible in Huntingdon Valley, allowing victims to recover compensation more easily.
Witness Statements
Statements from witnesses are testimonial evidence, meaning people related to the case provide their experiences or expertise to give the judge or jury greater insight into certain aspects of the case. For example, eyewitnesses might have seen the accident as it happened. An eyewitness might be able to provide a statement identifying the defendant as the person who hurt the victim. Similarly, expert witnesses can relay their expertise to a case and explain the likely reason why a victim sustained their injuries. Even statements from a victim’s friends and family can be admissible in a lawsuit, as they can provide insight into the pain and suffering a victim has experienced in the aftermath of an accident in Huntingdon Valley.
Police Reports
While many states do not allow police reports to be admissible evidence in civil cases, Pennsylvania is somewhat of an exception. In Huntingdon Valley, conclusions or opinions made by police officers and included in incident reports are admissible in an injury lawsuit. That is because police officers can testify to those conclusions or opinions in court. Depending on the accident that caused you injury, the police may or may not have been called. For example, law enforcement typically must be called to a car accident but might not be alerted to a slip and fall. In the days following your accident, our personal injury lawyers can obtain your police report and use it to start building your case. Use your best judgment following an accident that caused you injury in Huntingdon Valley, as calling the police to document it might result in evidence that can be used against a negligent party.
Correspondence
Correspondence between a victim and an at-fault party might be admissible in personal injury claims in Huntingdon Valley. The issue related to correspondence is whether it can be authenticated or not. Regardless, you can inform the person that caused the injuries of your damages in writing. Keep records of any correspondence between you and the negligent party, as they might mistakenly accept fault for your injuries. If they do, and if the correspondence is deemed admissible, you can use such conversations as evidence against them.
Photographs
Photographs of an accident scene or a victim’s injuries are admissible evidence in lawsuits as they show the scope of the incident. Rarely do negligent parties photograph accident scenes, and, in many instances, they might not be present at the time an incident occurred. For example, if you were hurt in the common area of your apartment building, your landlord was probably not there. Therefore, the victim is often responsible for photographing the accident scene and the hazards that caused their injuries. If you wait to do this, a negligent party might fix whatever obstruction or danger that harmed you before you are able to photograph it as evidence.
Surveillance Footage
In some cases, there is video evidence of a defendant’s negligence. This might be more likely in premises liability cases, especially those that happen on properties with security cameras. Our attorneys might have to subpoena video footage, especially if it is footage owned by the person who harmed you in Huntingdon Valley. If you are fortunate, the footage will show exactly how the defendant acted negligently, causing your injuries. Even if security camera footage does not show the full scope of your accident, it might help explain certain aspects of your case.
Medical Records
A victim’s medical records are typically admissible, provided they relate to the case. A defendant might attempt to claim that medical records from days or weeks following an accident are unrelated to a case as the injuries they document could have been due to another cause. This is why going to the hospital immediately after an accident is necessary for victims. If you do not seek medical attention and document your injuries, it might be more challenging to relate them back to a negligent party’s actions. In an auto accident, victims might be aware of their injuries right away and immediately go to the hospital. In slip and fall cases, victims might think they are just bruised and delay getting medical attention. Regardless of the type of accident you are hurt in, go to the hospital as soon as possible.
Uncovering Evidence for a Huntingdon Valley, PA Personal Injury Lawsuit
In order to eventually admit evidence in a case, you must first uncover it. This is typically achieved by launching an immediate investigation into an incident that resulted in injury.
The longer you wait to begin collecting evidence, the more difficult it may be to find. Memories can fade, which is why getting statements from eyewitnesses immediately is crucial. Surveillance footage might get deleted and medical records might get misconstrued as being related to an entirely different incident. The sooner evidence is uncovered, the more reliable and helpful it can be to injury victims in Huntingdon Valley.
Get Compensation for Injuries in Huntingdon Valley, PA
Call our personal injury lawyers at (215) 709-6940 to schedule a case evaluation with The Reiff Law Firm today.
