Most car accidents occur along busy streets and intersections. There might be a number of witnesses who saw how the accident happened. Testimonies of witnesses can be valuable in establishing the fault of a car accident.
You need to get the contact details of witnesses after an accident. Once you have recovered from the accident, you should contact them and record their statements about the accident.
Every car accident case is different. But there are general questions that you can ask from the witnesses regarding the car accident. Here are basic questions you should ask to prove the liability of a vehicle accident.
Q. 1. Can you explain in your own words how the accident happened?
Start your investigation by asking the witness to give their own account of the events. They might give additional information regarding the accident that was not evident before. The additional details will help in clearly establishing the facts regarding the accident.
Q. 2. Can you provide specific details of the accident?
Witnesses might not tell all the details of the accident when they give their own narration. You should ask them about specific details of the accident once you have listened to their narrative of how the events unfolded. The following questions can help in getting an accurate picture of how the accident occurred.
Where were the cars involved in the accident coming from and where were they headed before the accident?
When did the witness arrive at the accident scene?
Where was the witness looking before and after the accident?
Was the car over speeding?
Did the car driver follow traffic lights?
Q.3. How far were you from the accident scene?
Eyewitnesses may not have been in the best place to observe the scene of the accident. You should ask if they were standing close or far away from the accident scene. Testimonies of witnesses that are standing 100 yards away might not be credible. Witnesses that were standing far from the accident might not accurately recall details of the accident.
Q. 4. Are there additional details about the accident you want to tell?
After you have asked the basic questions, you should ask the witness to tell you about anything that seemed out-of-ordinary at the time of the accident. This question may help you get surprising revelations about the accident. You can know about specific details about the accident that could have a significant weight in a lawsuit.
Asking questions from the witnesses will help you get valuable information regarding the accident scene. You can compare statements to know where they agree and where there is confusion regarding the accident.
You don’t have to interview dozens of witnesses about the vehicle accident. Asking two to four witnesses would be enough to build a strong case against the at-fault driver. You should work with an experienced car accident attorney to know exactly what questions to ask from the witnesses regarding the car accident.
