Car accidents happen daily, but that does not mean your accident or injuries should be dismissed. Talk to a lawyer about how to hold the negligent driver responsible and get fair financial compensation.
Beginning a claim for a car accident can be tricky, and you should speak to a lawyer about your situation as soon as possible. Lawsuits begin with a formal complaint drafted and filed by the plaintiff. You must also serve notice on the defendant according to Tennessee’s strict legal requirements. Evidence you might need for your claim includes videos, photographs, testimony from witnesses, and even your medical records related to the accident. How your accident occurred will also play a major role in how we approach your case. Many accidents happen in intersections or places where traffic converges. Factors like speed and road conditions are also common. Damages may be substantial, and you may claim losses related to physical injuries, emotional distress, and more.
After a collision on the road, call our car accident lawyers of Howe Law at (844) 876-4357 to schedule a private, free review of your claims to begin your case.
How to Start Your Car Accident Case in Jackson, TN
Beginning a claim for damages from a car accident is sometimes considered one of the toughest parts of the legal process. After an accident, your first step should be calling for help and getting to a hospital for medical treatment. After that, call a lawyer to discuss the possibility of legal action.
To begin your case, our car accident lawyers can help you draft a formal legal complaint. This is the document that formally begins your lawsuit. The complaint is far more than a list of accusations or allegations against the defendant. We must have some evidence backing up those claims to show your case has merit and deserves a trial. While we do not need all the evidence or even enough evidence to win, we need only enough to prove your claims are valid. More evidence can be gathered later.
Your complaint should also include information about what kind of damages you experienced and the compensation you demand as relief. As such, it is imperative that you speak to your lawyer to help you evaluate your injuries and losses.
When your complaint is ready to be filed with the court, you must also make sure to serve notice of the case on the defendant. Serving notice is often easier said than done, especially if you do not know the defendant personally and are unsure where to find them. If notice is not served or served in a way that is unlawful, your entire case may be in jeopardy.
Evidence You Should Gather for a Jackson, TN Car Accident Case
Evidence in car accident cases can be unpredictable. For some plaintiffs, evidence is found in abundance. For others, evidence is scarce, and they must make do with much less. Remember, the fact that evidence might be hard to obtain does not mean your claims are invalid or untrue. Evidence is known for being tricky, and an experienced lawyer might help you build a strong case on even small amounts of evidence.
Photos and videos are common pieces of evidence in car accident cases because drivers often snap pictures and take videos to show to insurance companies. If you were unable to take any pictures or videos, we might find footage from nearby security or traffic cameras. Perhaps other drivers have dashcam footage they are willing to share. Having pictures and video footage of the crash might help explain how the accident happened, who was involved, and why the defendant should be held liable.
Many other drivers on the road might have seen your accident unfold. Some of them might have already spoken to law enforcement, and we might get their names from the police report. More might be tracked down later. The more witnesses who can testify about how the defendant caused the accident, the better your odds of success.
To prove the extent of your injuries and related damages, we can present your medical records as evidence. This is often important in cases where some time has passed between the accident and the trial, and plaintiffs’ injuries might be recovered by the time they set foot in court.
How Your Car Accident in Jackson, TN Might Have Occurred
How and where your accident happened is a crucial detail. Knowing this information might help us piece together the crash and figure out who should be held liable. A common location for car accidents is intersections or other places where traffic converges. Red lights, stop signs, or yield signs are often present at crash scenes because negligent drivers’ failure to stop when they should is a typical reason behind many crashes.
Speed is another major factor in a lot of accident cases. Even if the driver tried to stop at a red light to avoid a collision, they might have been unable to do so because they were driving too fast. In some cases, negligent drivers are cited for speeding by the police when they respond to the crash scene, and we can use that citation as evidence.
Poor road conditions or bad weather are a typical feature of car accident cases. When driving conditions are bad for any reason, it is the responsibility of drivers to adjust their driving to be safe. For example, if it is raining, drivers must use windshield wipers and headlights and slow down to stay safe on the road. If a driver does not adjust to the conditions, they may be liable for causing an accident.
Talk to Our Jackson, TN Car Accident Attorneys About Your Case
After a crash on the road or highway, call our car accident lawyers of Howe Law at (844) 876-4357 to schedule a private, free evaluation of your claims to begin your case.
