According to the latest statistics done by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are approximately 30,000 deaths every year caused by car accidents. From this number, 2,400 traffic-related deaths were reported from Florida, making it the third-highest state in the United States for fatal traffic accidents. Most of these accidents are caused by pure negligence, and it’s in such instances where you acquire the services of an auto attorney in Sarasota. Every driver is expected to obey state traffic regulations. But what happens when a traffic accident occurs out of sheer recklessness and negligence? How do all the parties involved identify fault and liability in such cases, especially if you live in Florida? Well, here’s everything you need to know about identifying fault and liability after traffic accidents in Florida.
Ways To Prove Fault And Liability After A Car Accident Occurs
Even when the cause of the accident seems pretty apparent to all the parties involved, fault still needs to be proved, and doing so can be rather tricky. However, to establish liability, the first step is collecting evidence that the other party wasn’t following traffic laws. You will take most of the evidence you need for your case directly from the car accident scene. But, you will still have some groundwork to cover and pieces of evidence to gather, and they include:Photos
With technology having improved quite significantly over the years, it has become a tool you can use in your favor to determine fault. With your smartphone, you can take photos of car accident scenes. Remember, a picture is worth more than a thousand words. Photographs are the simplest way to represent any car accident scene fully. They help provide you and your lawyer with an accurate record of all the physical evidence present. They also prove to be quite valuable in helping piece together significant pieces of evidence that a traffic accident occurred. It doesn’t matter if anyone can describe the car accident scene down to the letter; with a photo, you can tell the same story, as it allows you to freeze time and record all the evidence present. But, for the pictures you take to be used to your advantage, you need to capture the correct information. Therefore, ensure that the pictures you take include skid marks, traffic signs, obstructions, debris, and any objects present on the road. Also, make sure you capture the position of all the vehicles involved in the crash and the damages present. You can easily show a judge and jury all the damages and injuries you sustained from the accident by capturing every detail.Police Reports
Most car accidents often have emergency responders and police on the scene. And if that happens, you will be required to fill out official reports about the crash. The police reports you fill out will also contain the police officer’s notes and observations of the collision. So, how can a police report help you prove liability? Police officers note down different factors that may have led to an accident like:- Visibility conditions
- Weather conditions
- Speeding
- Roadway conditions
- Driver impairment
Documents
The documents you present may prove to be quite effective in helping to prove fault. The documents you need to provide include:- Medical records
- Medicines
- Treatment
- Medical bills