Virginia Car Accident Case Investigations

When collecting evidence for Virginia car accident case investigations, an attorney will use a variety of investigative methods to make a demand for settlement or filing a claim. This will include talking to the injured party, talking to witnesses, talking to law enforcement officers if they are on the scene, reviewing accident reports, police reports, and other data that may have been created as a result of the accident.

A distinguished car accident attorney can do investigations both for their purposes to bolster their claim and also to protect themselves against potential defensive action. A good attorney always wants to try to predict and calculate what the other side may do and this is no different in a car accident trial.

Investigation Process

The car accident attorney may investigate damages, such as investigating the treating physicians, the type of injuries, the types of procedures recommended, as well as their own client’s claim of injuries. The lawyer can then proceed with hearing how their life was affected. They may also be investigating the individual’s background and determine what factors are important in relation to their case.

Collecting evidence for Virginia car accident case investigations can include third party sources. These sources can include third party video, recorded statements, getting pictures of the accident from their team, traffic observations and more. These things could give the lawyer more insight as to what may have happened during the time of the incident.

Investigative Techniques

In some cases, gathering evidence for Virginia car accident defenses for the investigation may wrap up in a matter of weeks and there are cases where the investigations last well over a year to investigate, and because it is pre-litigation does not mean the investigation will stop.

Once the case is filed, investigation techniques available include:

  • Ability to shoot discovery requests
  • Depositions
  • Request for admissions
  • Request for interrogatories
  • Requests for production of documents

All of these investigation techniques can be used to try and find more information about what would be presented at trial, but during that time of the investigation, outside litigation process may be ongoing as well.Collecting Evidence

Prior to filing a claim, attorneys will begin collecting evidence for Virginia car accident case investigations through a variety of sources. This may include using their team of investigators to understand the scene, understand the parties and what resources they may have.

They may contact an insurance adjuster to find out the limits of coverage, contacting law enforcement for an accident report, and even using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to find out more information about the terms of the particular area where the accident occurred.

This is also to ensure that in an accident case that may involve government entities, semi-government entities, roadwork, construction areas and things of that nature, an attorney can use three litigation discovery techniques to try to find out as much information about that if possible.

Virginia Car Accident Trial Process