Car accidents in Georgia rarely happen in seclusion. Often, multiple witnesses are present to witness the chaos of a car accident.
Fortunately, witness statements can be used in your car accident claim to recover the compensation you deserve. Depending on where your accident happened, several bystanders could have witnessed how the other driver caused it. Police officers are almost always witnesses to an accident after the fact and can be called as witnesses to testify to the observations. Our team can also secure expert witnesses for more challenging cases.
If you were in a car accident and want to know what witness statements you need, our Georgia personal injury attorneys can help. Contact Howe Law at (844) 876-4357 for a free case assessment.
What Witness Statements Can I Use in My Car Accident Claim in Georgia?
Many car accident victims know enough about lawsuits to know that witnesses can play an important role. What witness statements will be useful in your case will depend on the circumstances of your case and what it calls for. In many cases, the parties dispute who actually caused the accident, making eyewitnesses a decisive factor. If there were bystander witnesses to a car accident, they could provide statements that convincingly show the other driver was at fault.
However, other types of witnesses could be necessary to bolster the statements made by bystander witnesses. For instance, the police will likely be called to your car accident to investigate. The police officer that made the report of your car accident could be called as a witness later to testify to the things they observed during their investigation.
In other cases, liability is clear, but the defendant argues that your injuries were minor or not caused by the defendant at all. In these situations, it will be necessary to call an expert witness to provide statements connecting the victim’s injuries with the car accident in question. Typically, your treating doctor or a medical professional that has examined you for the case will be called to testify to your injuries and their likely cause. However, your car accident case might require other expert witnesses, such as accident reconstruction experts and specialized medical professionals.
Can Bystanders Provide Witness Statements in My Georgia Car Accident Claim?
Bystander witnesses to a car accident might be the most common but also hardest to commit to providing statements in a lawsuit. Several bystanders could have witnessed your car accident, including other drivers, pedestrians, or those working nearby. Some might be good enough to offer their help if they saw your accident, while others might need some convincing. Witnesses that have no connection to the parties involved might be reluctant to get involved with a lawsuit. That is where our personal injury attorneys can step in a reach out to witnesses on your behalf and explain what their role would be in your case.
If you did not have an opportunity to speak to witnesses while at the scene of the accident, do not worry. Most car accidents in Georgia must be reported to the police, so they will likely investigate your accident, which includes speaking to any witnesses on the scene. The police officer’s report should include the names and contact information of any witnesses the police interviewed, which our team can use to track down statements that can be used in your claim. However, you should try to get contact information from witnesses while on the scene if your injuries permit it in case the police report does not list it. Our Atlanta personal injury attorneys can investigate your claim and use several methods, including investigating social media, to track down the witnesses to your car accident.
Can Police Officers Be Witnesses in My Car Accident Claim in Georgia?
Police officers are often the first parties to witness the scene of a car accident. While victims might not think of the police as potential witnesses in their car accident claims, they are commonly called to testify to the things they observed during their accident investigation. This includes more mundane details like the time of day, the weather, and road conditions. But officers can also testify to important facts like the mental state of the drivers involved, vehicle damage, and other physical evidence indicating how the accident occurred.
A common example of when an officer’s statements are particularly useful is in drunk driving accidents. Suppose the other driver was visibly intoxicated during the police investigation. In that case, the officer will note the driver’s state in their report and can later testify in court to what they observed. If the driver was slurring their speech, having difficulty standing, or smelled of alcohol, the investigating officer can testify to what they saw, which can make all the difference in the outcome of a lawsuit.
If the police officer is not available to testify, the observations made in their report can likely be used as evidence in place of their live testimony. While there is a rule against hearsay statements being used as evidence to prove the truth of the fact asserted, the Georgia Rules of Evidence have exceptions for certain witness statements made outside of court. Georgia Rule of Evidence 803(8) provides an exception for reports made by officials carrying out their routine duties. Our Marietta personal injury attorneys can help you obtain your police report and make the best use of it in your case.
Will an Expert Witness Be Needed for My Georgia Car Accident Claim?
Lastly, it might be necessary to enlist the help of an expert to prove your car accident claim. In some cases, an accident expert might be called to help explain how your accident occurred. This is usually for more complex cases. In most situations, your treating doctor or other medical experts will be asked to provide statements regarding your injuries and why they believe these injuries were caused in this accident. Our Savannah personal injury attorneys can help you determine if expert witnesses will be needed in your case and arrange their testimony.
Our Georgia Car Accident Attorneys Can Help
If you were injured in a car accident with multiple witnesses, our Georgia car accident attorneys can help you get their statements to use in your claim. For a free case review, call Howe Law today at (844) 876-4357.
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