Investigation Can be Key To Your Personal Injury Case

A number of my fellow Injuryboard members have been discussing the importance of talking to an attorney soon after you have been in an accident. It's worth spending the time reading:

Pete Burns : Investigate car wrecks promptly

Don Jacobs : What to do if an accident occurs

I think it's important to highlight early investigation. You can guarantee that the insurance companies are out there right away. While you are healing up and in most cases, hoping that it will just go away, they have their investigators out there talking to witnesses, taking photos, etc.

Often the insurer's investigation is unfair, or even downright criminal. Photos of horrible property damage may be lost, or never taken; the investigator may find the person from way back in line with a bizarre version of a crash, and investigators have even been known to strategically place liquor and beer bottles before taking their photos. You can be assured that the insurance investigator is rarely out there to help your claim.

A good personal injury attorney will know what to do as part of protecting and finding evidence. A smart lawyer is making sure that all the witnesses are spoken to, that photos are taken, and evidence is secured and available for future use.

Couple of cases I reviewed are good examples;

– A products case where the defendant showed up and wanted to take the product away and back to who knows where.

– A four car accident where the potential client was at a full stop and then hit by the other three cars. Each of those cars did investigations and sent letters saying "sorry to tell you we aren't at fault" according to their "independent" investigations.

– A defendant who said at her deposition that she had taken pictures of her totaled car and was later told by her insurance company after the property damage was fixed, there was no reason to keep anything.

All of these instances are fixable, but they can cause problems. These problems are less likely to happen if you have someone on your side that has the experience to protect your interests. In many cases in may be the difference between not being able to prove all of your case and receiving the Justice you deserve.