When accidents happen, often the first priority is to seek medical care. It's important, however, for you take action as soon as you can to preserve your ability to get proper compensation from the at-fault driver. Relying on the other guy's (or your own) insurance is a mistake, and you will likely find the compensation from them disappointing and inadequate. The capture and preservation of evidence becomes far more important when you are considering filing a personal injury claim, so read on to learn about a few forms of evidence and how to ensure it's readily available.

The Scene of the Accident

If you are unable to take action due to injuries, enlist the help of a friend or family member to return to the scene of the accident and gather evidence. Take photos and make notes of the following:

1. Take some photos of the road or intersection where the accident happened, and be sure to look for things like skid marks, damage to property, road signs or signal lights, and more.

2. Eye witness testimony can be extremely valuable, so visit nearby residences or businesses to locate and note contact information.

3. While you are canvassing the area, note the presence of video cameras trained on the intersection or roadway where the wreck happened. Take action quickly on this form of evidence to prevent it from being recorded over.

Your Vehicle

Get photographs of your vehicle, even if it has been towed away. You can usually locate towed vehicles by contacting the responding law enforcement agency.

Your Injuries

Have a loved one or friend photograph your injuries as soon as possible, and include photos of ruined and bloodied clothing.

The Accident Report

Unless you were given a copy of the accident or police report at the scene, you can obtain your own copy a few days after the accident by contacting the responding agency. These reports contain a lot of useful information, and you can do yourself and your personal injury attorney a big favor by providing them a copy. Often you find the following bits of information on the report:

1. Names and contact info for all involved parties, including their insurance information (policy number, etc).

2. The exact day and time of the wreck, and sometimes the weather conditions.

3. In some cases, you will find a diagram of the way the responding officer evaluated that the accident happened, and often you will find a narrative of the officer's opinion as to the cause of it.

4. Whether or not any traffic citations were issued, and to who.

Only by filing a personal injury suit, with the help of a  law office like Trump & Trump, can you hope to be compensated for your lost wages and pain and suffering in addition to your vehicle repair or replacement and your medical expenses. Speak to a personal injury attorney as soon as possible.