Boca Raton Pedestrian Accident Investigations

After a pedestrian accident, insurance and police investigations can be complex and difficult to understand. Thankfully, experienced pedestrian accident attorneys could help you navigate pedestrian accident investigations. Kogan & DiSalvo offer free consultations to injury victims, and their skilled lawyers could fight for you while you focus on recovery.

What To Do After a Pedestrian Accident

It is important for a pedestrian injured in an accident where the driver fled the scene to pay attention as much as possible to details regarding the vehicle and to immediately call 911 and report that information to the operator. A person’s description will be given to the police, who will immediately issue a BOLO, which stands for “Be on the lookout” for the vehicle and the driver. Some information that a person should pay attention to includes:

• The name of the vehicle
• The model of the vehicle
• The color of the vehicle
• How many people were in the vehicle
• Description of the driver including their sex, race, hairstyle, hair color, approximate age, and any accessories such as hats or glasses

A person should also be able to provide any distinguishing characteristics of the vehicle such as tints, bumper stickers, and any pre-existing damage. If a pedestrian is injured in a hit and run accident, the pedestrian may be able to make a claim against their own uninsured motorist coverage on their automobile insurance policy. It is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible after a pedestrian accident to investigate whether you have this coverage.

Police Investigations in Boca Raton

A police investigation can help people with a pedestrian accident case because the police are usually the first to arrive at the scene at a pedestrian accident. When the police come to an accident scene, they put their many years of experience and training to use by investigating the crash.

Sometimes their investigation can be limited to speaking to the persons involved in the accident, but other times the investigation is more complex. Depending on how the accident occurred, a police officer may:

• Measure the damaged vehicle
• Measure skid marks
• Make note of any damage to surrounding areas
• Review surveillance from nearby businesses, residences, or traffic cameras
• Interview witnesses
• Take photographs at the scene

It is important to always call the police to make sure that an officer creates a record of the accident and compiles that information into a police report.

After a pedestrian accident, a person should always cooperate with law enforcement and not hinder their investigation, as law enforcement will establish the first official record of the accident. They do not have to speak to an attorney first but should speak to an attorney as soon as practicable.

Important Evidence in Pedestrian Accidents

The following aspects of evidence can be important in Boca Raton pedestrian accident investigations:

• photographs of the scene
• photographs of vehicle damage
• photographs of a person’s injuries
• surveillance footage
• police reports
• medical records and bills
• witness statements.

Collecting Evidence for the Plaintiff’s Case

A Boca Raton attorney could help individuals collect additional evidence for their case. The following actions could be helpful:

• sending out a preservation of evidence letter to make sure the adverse party does not destroy the physical or documentary evidence
• collecting written or recorded witness statements
• using signed authorizations to collect the police report
• using signed authorizations to collect a person’s medical records and bills
• performing a background check on the potential defendant.

A non-attorney may overlook important evidence in pedestrian accident investigations. For example, experienced attorneys know to look for cameras on residences that may have captured the accident. Many times, these cameras are set to automatically record over existing footage after a certain period of time. It is so important to obtain a skilled lawyer immediately to try to obtain this footage or at least send out a preservation of evidence letter on the client’s behalf. Furthermore, pedestrians might not realize how important it is to take photographs of the accident scene at the time of the day that the accident occurred. This helps the attorney to get the most accurate depiction of the scene of the accident.

How a Boca Raton Pedestrian Accident Attorney Could Help by Speaking to Insurance Companies

Preferably a pedestrian should not speak to the other party’s insurance company until after they have obtained an attorney. After a pedestrian has obtained an attorney, there may come a time where the insurance company will want to speak to a person. The insurance company will schedule a recorded statement or an informal statement to hear the pedestrian’s side of how the accident occurred and learn about the pedestrian’s injuries and medical treatment. The pedestrian’s attorney will help prepare the pedestrian for the statement.

If you or a loved one were injured in a pedestrian accident, contact Kogan & DiSalvo for a free consultation. Their attorneys understand the details of Boca Raton pedestrian accident investigations and could work to achieve a favorable outcome in your case.