If you are the innocent party in an Arizona automobile accident or suffer a non-vehicular personal injury due to the negligence or carelessness of someone else, act quickly to preserve the evidence. Anything that you contribute may help prove your case in a future trial. The specific material you should collect depends on the type of injury.
Automobile accident injury
If you are involved in an automobile accident, take pictures of your injuries, car damage and the scene itself if it is safe to do so. Don’t step out into a busy street to take a photo. Wait until the police arrive and divert traffic away from the accident site. Keep a copy of the police report and the other driver’s insurance information. Retain all the documentation regarding your relevant medical records, hospital expenses and estimated automobile repair costs.
Consumer product injury
Take photographs of your injury and the item if a consumer product has harmed you. Save the original packaging if you have it and the sales receipt. Store the instruction manual and any warning stickers on the product in a safe place. Don’t repair the product since that might destroy evidence demonstrating the cause of an Arizona personal injury.
Medical malpractice injury
Always obtain a second or third medical opinion before you accuse a medical professional of malpractice. Take photos of any physical damage to your body, and request and retain a copy of all pertinent medical records and related expenses. Request a copy of any scans or lab tests that might indicate a misdiagnosis.
Collect and preserve all evidence relating to a personal injury to help prove your case in court.