The Importance of Witness Statements in Arizona Accident Cases

When you pursue compensation after a car accident in Sun City, you may use witness statements to prove what happened and who should be held legally responsible, or “liable,” for the harm you have suffered. As you move forward, you should know more about the role of witness statements in insurance claims and personal injury lawsuits and understand how an attorney can use those statements to seek maximum compensation for you.

The Role of Witness Statements in Car Accident Investigations

Witness statements serve different purposes in a car accident investigation. A witness statement may benefit your case in ways that include:

• Identifying liable parties — Motor accident witness statements can help determine the liable parties, such as in hit-and-run accidents, making it easier to seek the compensation you deserve.
• Reducing personal liability — Arizona follows a pure comparative negligence rule (Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-2505). The law reduces your potential compensation based on your liability or fault. Eyewitnesses can help establish that the other driver was mostly or entirely at fault, which will contribute to maximizing your compensation.
• Providing additional details — As third-party observers, eyewitnesses can provide information about the accident you do not have. For example, a witness may have seen the other driver texting while driving before the collision occurred.
• Resolving driver disputes — If you lack video of the accident, it may lead to a he-said, she-said dispute with the other drivers. Witnesses can help clear up any questions about what happened during the accident.

What Makes a Strong Witness Statement?

If your injuries allow it, you should collect the names and contact information of individuals who witnessed the accident. Your lawyer can follow up with them to gather their statements. If you cannot collect this information at the accident scene, your lawyer may be able to identify witnesses through the police accident report.

What makes a strong witness statement? Good testimony should include some or all of the following:

• An objective perspective — While passengers in your vehicle can serve as witnesses, the best witnesses are third parties unrelated to the incident. These witnesses can offer an objective perspective of the accident, making their testimony more trustworthy in jurors’ eyes.
• A clear view of the accident — Ideally, your witnesses had a clear view. Even if they only heard the accident, they can still testify about the sound of screeching tires, which may be helpful.
• Consistency — Witness statements should be consistent and not contradictory. A consistent statement makes a witness more believable.
• Corroborative physical evidence — If a car accident witness’s statement aligns with the physical evidence from the accident scene, it will strengthen your case. For example, if the witness says you slammed on the brakes to avoid a driver running through a red light, and there are skid marks on the road, it will boost their credibility and, in turn, your account of how the crash occurred.

Have a Witness Statement? Let Our Attorneys Make It Count

Contact us today at Mushkatel, Gobbato, & Kile, P.L.L.C. for a free consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer in Sun City, Arizona. Our lawyers can meet wherever is most convenient for you, even after hours. The sooner you speak to our lawyers, the sooner we can investigate the incident and gather key accident witness statements.

Visit Our Sun City, AZ Car Accident Law Offices