How to Prove You Are Not at Fault in a Car Accident: The Best Tips

Did you know that the economic cost of car accidents in the U.S. is estimated to be about $242 billion? Were you recently in a car accident and want to prove you’re not at fault?

In this article, you’ll learn how to prove you are not at fault in a car accident. Read on to discover these best tips and trips for proving your innocence.

1. Who Is at Fault?

When an accident first occurs, it’s common practice to immediately figure out who is at fault based on how the cars are positioned. Unfortunately, some accidents are harder to determine who is at fault. There’s also the case of no-fault car accidents in certain locations.

Even if you were unfairly blamed for the accident, it’s not too late to dispute liability and prove your innocence.

No-Fault

If you live in a no-fault car insurance state, fault doesn’t matter for most car accidents. No-fault means that a policyholder will receive compensation for losses from their insurer.

The claimant’s injuries should meet a certain threshold for the claimant to go outside of no-fault, and have a liability claim against the other driver.

At-Fault

If you’re in an at-fault location and the insurance company denies your claim since they consider you at fault, you can let the insurance company know you dispute their findings. If you received a traffic violation with the accident, or the insurer is basing it on the police report, you have to first fight the ticket.

If you’re disputing the police report, you can try to get in contact with the investigating officer and speak with them about your side of the story. You could always get the report amended. Them having a record on file of you disagreeing with your findings could help you later on with your insurance.

If it’s a rear-end collision, it’s extremely rare for the person who was hit to be considered at fault. Every car is supposed to keep a safe distance from the car in front of them so they can avoid rear-end collisions. Then there is who is at fault for a left-turn accident. If you’re going straight and another car makes a left-hand turn they’ll be considered at fault.

It’s not always the case since if someone ran a red light while speeding and the person making the left-turn then hit you, the person who ran the red light would be at fault. If a left-turn hit occurred, look for damage on the front-end of one of the cars and the front-right side of the other car.

2. Never Admit Fault

A great way to prove you’re innocent is to prove the other driver is at fault. Never admit fault. Any proof or supporting documents you have to prove your innocence make sure you have them handy for the insurance companies. You can also keep the incident report from the police officers as well.

3. Gather Physical Evidence

It takes a while for an accident to be cleaned up, so make sure you take plenty of pictures of the accident scene, especially if you can prove the other driver is at fault. The best way to prove who is at fault is to find witnesses and collect evidence which could take a while.

4. Photograph Vehicles’ Damage

Don’t just take pictures of the accident scene, but also the positions of the cars, damage to them, and take pictures from all different angles. If it’s a head-on collision, normally the car that’s not in its proper lane would be considered at fault. Sometimes both cars might not be in their correct lane, so then it’s harder to determine fault.

That’s when these pictures come in handy for any confusion or doubt.

5. Keep All Details

Check for any cameras installed in the area that might be focused on the location of the accident. If you have a dashboard camera make sure to review that. Try to determine if there were any violations the other driver did such as an expired license, drug use, or drunk driving.

Find out any past violations of the other driver.

6. Hire a Professional

Sometimes it’s hard to prove fault for the other driver and your innocence. You can hire an expert attorney such as Preszler Law who specializes in car accidents. They will know what supporting documents will help your case and what to look for.

7. Research Traffic Laws

If you have an attorney you can go over traffic laws with them, but if not you can determine this on your own. Whether it’s following another vehicle close, speeding, or running a red light. When you find out if these occurred, it can help support your case and innocence.

8. Obtain an Accurate Police Report

The police should always be called whenever there is a car accident. Police reports can normally be helpful in proving who is at fault. Make sure that the report is accurate before using it to defend your innocence. The report will contain diagrams, the officer’s first impressions about the accident, and what the other driver and you said about the accident.

How to Prove You Are Not at Fault in a Car Accident

This article you learned the top tips for how to prove you are not at fault in a car accident and prove your innocence. While it can seem like a challenge proving innocence, it is completely possible. Would you like to learn more about traffic and law? Check out our other articles.

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