Effective Strategies for Building a Strong Personal Injury Case

In this article, we discuss key elements of building a strong personal injury case. 

Post-Accident Statements

If you have been involved in an automobile accident, your lawyer will need to get post-accident statements. The police are not always able to obtain witnesses’ statements and can sometimes be more interested in making an official report. Regardless of who is at fault for the accident, the police should collect the witness statements and make an official report. If you are at fault, the police will cite you for violating traffic laws.

Be cautious when you are approached by an insurance adjuster regarding post-accident statements. It is important to remember that insurance companies are not always on your side and can try to obtain information that will hurt your case for recovery. They don’t require recorded statements, but they may want them. If your statement is recorded, it can hurt your case. Therefore, avoid giving the insurance company recorded statements. Instead, try to ask them how they plan to use them.

Providing statements soon after the accident is the best way to avoid potential complications. The insurance company may try to say that you were 30% at fault for the accident and only offered to pay 70%. This tactic is common for insurance companies, who will try to limit or deny claims with creative arguments.

Effective Trial Exhibits

The process of creating Effective Trial Exhibits begins well in advance of the trial with an understanding of how to craft an exhibit. One of the first steps is to identify which exhibits will be most useful to the plaintiff. Some types of evidence are more effective than others, so it is important to carefully consider your options. The following tips will help you create the most persuasive exhibits possible. Thorough knowledge of your opponent’s case is essential to making the best use of your time.

A computer program such as PowerPoint can help you create an exhibit that highlights key facts. Once the final document is ready, export it to a disc and print it at a local copy store or Kinkos. Make sure the display board is able to support the weight of the exhibit. Alternatively, you can create a photocopy of the exhibit and have it printed out at a copy shop. If the original exhibit is very large, you can videotape it and use the video as an exhibit.

During the trial, it is vital to mark each exhibit so the jury knows exactly what it contains. An unethical attorney may try to distract jurors by making them look at exhibits that aren’t applicable to the case. If the photo is inaccurate, the judge will not allow it to be used. An exhibit that does not contain a timeline will not be admissible. If there are additional witnesses, you should add them to the Witness list section of your trial notebook. In case additional discovery is necessary, schedule the evidence immediately.

For more information on building personal injury cases, contact our attorneys at Breit Biniazan.