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Have you recently been injured in a car accident in San Diego? Unfortunately, far too many people find themselves in this situation and all too often it is because of preventable recklessness. Things can get even more complex when the other driver is lying about how the accident happened. The other driver might even lie at the scene of the accident!
This can prove problematic for your own California personal injury claim, particularly if you are the one who suffered the most in terms of property damage and bodily injury. Here are some tips for dealing with a driver not telling the truth.
Tip #1: Rely on Existing Documentation
If you and the other driver both spoke to the police after the accident, rely as much as possible on whatever reports or other information was taken down at that time. If you’re in the scene immediately after the accident, take pictures and see if anyone witnessed what happened. This might become really important down the road.
Tip #2: Don’t Argue
Try to stay out of the line of fire. Instead, you can use an attorney down the road to help refute untrue statements coming from the other driver, but it’s unlikely you’re going to be able to do much immediately after the accident if the other driver is heated. Instead, focus on staying calm and collecting your own evidence to support your side of the story.
Tip #3: Don’t Forget About Additional Evidence
If your mechanic or car insurance carrier takes a look at the car damage and comes up with material that supports your claim, don’t forget to use this in your own personal injury case. The mechanic, for example, might determine that the site of the damage makes it impossible for the accident to have unfolded another way. Anything that backs up your own statements can be extremely valuable for your case.
SENIOR PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY & FIRM FOUNDER
Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1987. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes how insurance companies work and how they decide how much to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael’s inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents. Learn more about Michael Pines