What Evidence Should You Gather Right After Any Collision?

In the chaotic few minutes after cars crash, your actions are going to affect how clearly the events will be understood later. Evidence gathering after a collision in North Carolina should begin with protecting yourself and capturing what the scene shows.

Evidence Gathering After a Collision in North Carolina

Here’s a quick rundown of what you’ll be wanting to collect:

• Video and pictures
• Witness info
• Law enforcement info
• Driver, car, and insurance details
• Personal memories

Video and Pictures

As soon as you’ve taken care of things like calling the police or moving vehicles out of traffic, take pictures and a short video of the scene. Be sure to get images from several angles, and include where each vehicle ended up. Get any skid marks or debris on the road, traffic signs or signals nearby, and images that show the surrounding weather and lighting conditions. 

Get close-ups of the damage to every vehicle involved, the car license plates, and any visible injuries on people. Take these pics before anyone starts cleaning up or moving things around. A short video walkthrough can also help show spatial relationships between vehicles and the road layout.

Witness Info

Talk with anyone who saw what happened and ask them for their names and phone numbers. Ask if they’d be willing to give a statement to law enforcement or to a lawyer, and write down all your contacts in a notebook or an app on your phone right away. In the moment, you think you’ll remember everything, but once the adrenaline fades, things tend to get a little hazy.

Law Enforcement Info

If law enforcement responds, ask for the officer’s name and badge number along with the report number. Your police report is a valuable piece of evidence. This official document will record important facts and also if any citations were issued or statements taken. Request a copy once the report is available.

Driver, Car, and Insurance Details

Get all important information from the other driver or drivers (and give yours willingly). Make sure to get:

• Full names
• Addresses
• Phone numbers
• Driver’s license numbers
• Insurance company and policy details
• All vehicle information (make, model, color, license #)

Photograph their insurance card and license if they’re ok with it allow it. If not, don’t try to force it: just jot it all down. 

Personal Memories

As soon as you’re up to it after the accident, and while the details are fresh, jot down your own observations in writing. Include the exact time and location of the accident, the direction everyone was traveling as best you remember, what the weather, roads, and traffic were like, and anything else you noticed just before impact.

The evidence you collect at the scene of an accident will make a big difference to the strength of your car accident claim, and a lawyer can help you use all of it well. Book a free consultation with us today at David & Associates. We serve all of NC from our offices in Wilmington, Jacksonville, Clinton, Supply, Wallace, and Whiteville. 

Tags: car accident lawyers, personal injury
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