Motor vehicle collisions are some of the worst but likely accidents we face each day, and being injured because of another driver’s negligence could result in expensive yet compensable damages.
In car accident cases, presenting relevant records, like police reports, hospital records, and income records, can improve victims’ chances of recovery. Our attorneys can help victims request all pertinent medical records detailing their injuries and required care. Photographic evidence can benefit many car accident claims, especially those that would benefit from accident reconstruction experts’ assistance. Victims should try to take pictures of relevant information at crash sites, like property damage, debris left on the road, and any visible physical injuries. Police officers and eyewitnesses may take photos of their own, and we can obtain those images, as well as possible footage from local surveillance systems, in the days following your accident.
Call (718) 841-0083 for a free case analysis from The Carrion Law Firm’s car accident lawyers.
Records and Documents to Gather for Arverne Car Accident Cases
Victims pursuing compensatory damages from negligent drivers typically need certain records and documents to support their recoveries, including police reports, hospital records, and income documentation.
Police Reports
The 100th precinct of the New York City Police Department has jurisdiction over Arverne, so officers from that precinct will likely arrive when you call 911 to report an accident. During the first 30 days following an accident, victims can obtain copies of crash reports from the precinct where the collision happened.
Accident reports are also available online using the Collision Report Retrieval Portal, typically seven business after a collision. To get copies of reports online, victims must provide the collision date, the borough of occurrence, their driver’s license number, and other personal details, like their date of birth and email address.
Police officers include important details in these reports, such as the likely primary cause of an accident, contributing causes, the victim’s visible injuries, property damage, and eyewitnesses’ names and contact information. We can refer to police reports when building the foundation of claims, particularly during accident reconstruction with experts.
Victims should report all auto accidents to law enforcement, regardless of their apparent severity. Involving the police can lead to crucial accident documentation and information our car accident lawyers can use when building compensation claims.
Hospital Records
Victims need proof of injury to show they can file a lawsuit despite the accident happening in New York, which is a no-fault state. Hospital records can confirm your injuries are considered serious according to I.S.C. Law § 5102(d) or that you have incurred a basic economic loss of $50,000, which would also enable you to file a claim for all damages from an accident.
Paramedics might arrive on the scene before you go to the hospital, especially if you tell the 911 operator you are hurt. Paramedics will generate medical records when they treat you at the crash site or during transport to the hospital, and doctors will continue to flush out your records when you reach the emergency room.
Even one hospital visit could come with many records, test results, and bills, so intentionally organizing this information from the get-go is important. We can help victims request records from hospitals and physicians, which can take time in and of itself.
If you stop seeking medical care, you will stop generating medical evidence to support your case. Letting gaps form in treatment is inadvisable and could weaken compensation claims, so focus on keeping all scheduled appointments with doctors and specialists and following their advice.
Income Records
You might have to take time away from work after an accident to recover from your injuries fully. This could result in lost income, which could cause further financial distress for victims. Victims must confirm their previous earning capacities when seeking compensation for lost wages, which we can do by offering income statements, pay stubs, and other information from victims’ employers. Doctors who have treated your injuries can offer statements confirming that you can no longer work or your earning capacity has been permanently diminished, aiding your recovery as well.
Getting Photographic Evidence to Use in an Arverne Car Accident Claim
Photographic and video evidence could come from several sources, including traffic cameras, surveillance systems, law enforcement, witnesses, and even victims themselves.
We can see if law enforcement took photos at the crash site when obtaining the accident report. Police officers can help victims take pictures of their injuries or property damage if they are too hurt, so do not hesitate to ask for assistance documenting the scene.
Witnesses who stop to offer aid after catastrophic collisions might also take photos or videos, which we can obtain during interviews to preserve their statements. We can also survey the crash site for nearby traffic cameras that might have taken useful images for your claim and contact the appropriate agencies to obtain pictures.
Video footage might also exist, and quickly preserving it is crucial to ensure it is not deleted. Businesses near the crash site in Arverne might have private surveillance systems that could show the negligent driver breaching their duty of care and acting negligently, hitting and hurting you. Owners of such footage might be unaware of its relevance to your case and could delete it with time, so contacting them as soon as possible is crucial.
As a general rule, victims should always take photos after car accidents, regardless of how severe property damage or injuries appear. If other photos do not exist, we can, at the very least, offer your pictures from the site to a crash reconstruction expert, who can analyze images to make various determinations, like the point of impact and both drivers’ speed and direction of travel.
Call Our Arverne Lawyers for Assistance with Your Recovery from a Car Accident
Call (718) 841-0083 to discuss your case for free with the car accident lawyers of The Carrion Law Firm.