Car Accident Compensation Claim

When you are filing you car accident compensation claims, having witnesses from scene of your auto crash can significantly help increase your insurance settlements.

How Witnesses Increase Your Insurance Settlements

The witnesses can corroborate how the accident happened and point out mistakes of the other driver. If the witnesses live around the area, they may know about dangerous driving conditions like faulty traffic lights, potholes, or hidden road signs that caused previous traffic accidents.

This reduces your fault and helps you get more money from your car accident compensation claim

Even if the witnesses did not directly see the car crash, they can describe the extent of your injuries or your pain after the crash. This is useful if you file for your car accident injuries.

Therefore it is important you get all their information to increase your insurance settlements.

What information should you get?

If you don’t know the witnesses:

• Get their name, address, personal/work cell phone number
• Ask them to describe how they saw the accident happen, where they were standing, what direction they were facing.

Remember to not be pushy; you want them on your side.

Next ask them if you can send them a typed version of how the accident happened and have them sign it. Tell them you need to have as many facts as possible when you are dealing with the insurance companies to support your car accident compensation claim.

Some witnesses might seem hesitant to get involved, even though they support your side.

If this happens, quickly write down a brief description of the accident, ask them politely to read it and sign it right there. They don’t have to be any more involved than just signing your statement.

If you know the witness, just go over the details of the accident while it is fresh in their mind and write it down.

If you were unable to talk with any witnesses at the scene of the accident, then you can check to see if any were mentioned in the police report.

Protect Your Witnesses

A car insurance claims adjuster may use the police report to contact the witnesses independently. It is important you contact the witnesses first and get them to agree on how you described the accident happened.

The insurance adjuster’s goal is to minimize your car accident compensation claims. The adjuster may try to plant false or distorted memories in your witness’s mind. Pretty soon your witnesses have an entirely different story than yours about how the accident happened.

To avoid this, when you are talking with any witnesses tell them they might get contacted by a claims adjuster. Let them know they don’t need to get any more involved than the written statement they already signed.

Don’t tell them not to speak to the insurance company. Just let them know that they are not obligated to. They certainly have the right not to discuss anything with the insurance company if they don’t feel like it.

Bottom Line:

Having an eye witness can be incredibly valuable when you file a car accident compensation claim. You should contact the witnesses as soon as possible. People’s memory fade and they may no longer be helpful to you as more time passes by.

It is important you get a signed written statement from any witnesses about how you say the accident happened. You should talk with the witnesses before an adjuster contacts them and changes their story.

By securing your witnesses you are able make your claim stronger and get more money.

Want to know How Much Your Injury Claim is Worth? Get a free settlement estimate right now.

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