The best strategy for any accident victim involves making contact with any witnesses just as soon as possible.
Any memory tends to fade over time
The sooner that a witness has been asked to recount the events that took place on the day of the accident, the slimmer are the chances that the recounting could feature some missing information.
That fact showcases the need for creation of a written recording by the victim, soon after he or she has returned home. If the victim’s account and the account from a witness did not agree, then the jury might refuse to consider the facts in either of the statements.
How to deal with an adjuster’s attempt to speak with a given witness?
No witness is under an obligation to speak with the adjuster. A Personal Injury Lawyer in Sydney knows that victim has the right to acquaint any witness with his or her rights. Still, no victim should tell a witness what to say, or when and how to share witnessed events with a specific adjuster.
—A claimant could be punished for telling a witness what to say on the stand.
—An adjuster could also be punished for telling a witness what to say on the stand.
The ideal witness is a neutral and unbiased party.
He or she has no ties to the claimant or defendant.
If the injury resulted from an on-road collision, the witness should not be someone that was riding in one of the involved vehicles.
A party that has staged an accident could have arranged for the appearance of some cooperative witnesses.
A situation where a potential victim could use a witness
This is a recounting of a situation. One night, as a woman was stepping off the curb at a corner, a motorist sped past her, and almost hit her. A couple of the drivers that had witnessed the event provided the same woman with their name and contact information.
Why would those potential witnesses feel compelled to share their information? Because she had obviously been shaken, and would, thus, have the grounds for claiming emotional damage. She might even want to see a doctor, to check for physical damage.
Did that woman contact any of the witnesses? It is for sure that she did not contact one of the two men that approached her, and offered their name and contact information.
It would be difficult to identify a reason for her to contact just one of the two men, unless she lost some of the information, or could not decipher the note that she had been given. So, it helps to provide any witness with legible information on a good-sized piece of paper.
