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Role Of Witnesses In Auto Accident Claims

12 June 2019

Cassandra Stone

A standard piece of advice given to auto accident victims is to get the names and contacts of potential witnesses at the scene of the accident. This is good advice, but do you know how the witnesses can affect your case? Below are some of the specific roles witnesses play in auto accident cases.

Clearing Inconsistencies

The court can use eyewitness testimony to clear up inconsistent statements from both sides of the claims. Say you are claiming that you were doing 50 mph, but the accident investigations have revealed that the damages and injuries are consistent with those incurred at a much higher speed, such as 90 mph. Those two speeds are vastly different, and an eyewitness can testify as to how fast the car was going. Together with other pieces of evidence, the testimony can help clear up the inconsistency.

Assisting Accident Reconstruction

In cases where liability is not clear, plaintiffs and defendants can rely on accident reconstruction to clear up the liability issue. Accident reconstruction is undertaken by professionals who rely on various tools for their work. The accident reconstruction experts use the damage, injuries, location of the car, skid marks, and witness testimonies, among other things, to reconstruct the accident. For example, if an eyewitness places a car a hundred meters from the scene of an accident a minute before the collision, the reconstruction experts can use the information to determine how fast the car was traveling before the crash.

Providing Insights

Sometimes an accident occurs in a bizarre manner that leaves everyone baffled. For example, a two-car collision on a straight road or devastating damages and injuries from a low-speed collision can leave everyone guessing as to what happened. An eyewitness can provide insight or clarity on what happened at the scene. Maybe a driver accelerated at the last minute, or one of the drivers was asleep behind the wheel.

Supporting or Discrediting Claims

You can use eyewitness testimony to support a claim and strengthen your claim. If you had an intoxicated passenger at the time of the crash, an eyewitness can confirm that you were the one behind the wheel and not the intoxicated person. You can also use an eyewitness to discredit a misleading claim from the defendant. For example, if the defendant claims that you were using the phone while driving, an eyewitness can confirm that both of your hands were on the wheel at the time of the accident.

For more information, contact a personal injury firm such as Arias Law Firm, P.A. today.

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