Auto Accidents in Tacoma and the Importance of Gathering Evidence

by | Aug 27, 2014 | Lawyer

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The threshold for winning a civil case is easier than in criminal court. The plaintiff needs to prove the case with the preponderance of the evidence. Those in Tacoma who are involved in car accidents should not believe that it’s always easy to win accident cases. Many cases are lost or are subject to paltry settlements due to lack of evidence. Getting enough evidence to prove the case is critical to getting a decent settlement or to win the case in front of a jury. That is why lawyers such as Sadler Ladenburg Tacoma concentrate of evidence gathering when taking cases involving Auto Accidents in Tacoma.

First of all, it is a lot easier to gather evidence during the first week after an accident. For example, the damaged vehicles will remain in their current state for one day or for a few days. If there is video surveillance footage, it is probably not going to be overwritten for a few days or a few weeks. Eyewitnesses will remember a lot of details of the accident for a few days or even a few weeks. All of these things are much harder to do several months from now. The damaged vehicles will have been repaired or totaled a few months from the date of the accident. Many stores and government agencies overwrite video surveillance footage in order to save space. In a few months, most eyewitnesses to car accidents won’t remember much about the accident, which will make their testimony nearly worthless.

Because of this, it is important for car accident victims to consider hiring a lawyer as soon as possible. The chances of winning cases involving Auto Accidents in Tacoma is often related to how soon a lawyer is hired. Even if a car accident victim is hospitalized, it is not too early to call an attorney. Most hospital beds have phones. If they don’t, many hospitals allow cell phones to be used by patients. Furthermore, many lawyers are willing to visit hospitalized victims for the initial free consultation.

Finally, accident attorneys are almost paid on a contingency basis. That means they make no money until they win cases involving Auto Accidents Attorneys in Tacoma Washington If the lawyer loses the case, the victim owes no attorney fees. That is why it is probably best for a car accident victim to hire a good attorney as soon as possible.

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