Three Witnesses To Seek After An Accident In Front Of Your Home
Whether you're heading to work, going on a grocery run, or leaving your home for some other reason, the last thing that you expect to happen is to end up in an accident right in front of your residence. While there are some conveniences to this location — for example, if you have children, you can get them inside rather than have them waiting on the side of a busy road — you must also face the challenge of proving that the other driver was at fault. You can often have an uphill battle in this regard. For example, the other motorist may suggest to the responding police officer that you pulled out of your driveway without looking. The help from witnesses will be critical in your case, both when the police officer is writing the accident report and in the future should you decide to hire an auto accident attorney and take legal action. Here are three witnesses to look for.
School Bus Driver
If your accident takes place during the school year, try to notice whether there might be a school bus within sight. A school bus driver can make a credible witness for a number of reasons. The height of the bus gives the driver a clear vantage point of what takes place on the road around him or her, which is more than motorists in small cars can offer. Additionally, because the bus driver is a professional driver, he or she generally should be paying more attention to the road than others. Finally, the bus may be equipped with a dashboard camera that may help your case.
Parents
An accident during the school year isn't just fortunate for getting a bus driver as a witness. If children are walking to school or waiting for the bus, their parents may be watching from indoors. Ring the doors of a couple of houses in close proximity to the accident scene. These may even be the homes of neighbors whom you know. A parent who was watching his or her child head off to school may have witnessed your accident and be of benefit to you.
Letter Carrier
Be cognizant of whether the local letter carrier was in the area at the time of your accident. Even though this person may be eager to get going so that he or she can resume the route, a letter carrier can be a valuable witness. This person is on foot, so he or she can often have an unobstructed view of the roads around the neighborhood. Because the letter carrier probably doesn't know you or the other motorist, you can also count on him or her to provide an unbiased opinion about what happened. Make sure to get the contact information of each of your witnesses so that your car accident attorney can follow up with them at a later date.
Share