Should I get the details of witnesses to the accident?

One of the questions that we are regularly asked is: “Should I retain the names and addresses of anybody who saw my accident happening?”

And the answer is, most definitely, yes.

You should get the full name, address, and contact details of all witnesses to the accident. These details may never be used but it is important to retain them so that if liability is ever contested you have the evidence necessary to prove your case.

It would also be beneficial, if possible, to get witness statements from these people taken by your solicitor as soon as possible after the accident before their memories begin to fade.

You should also bear in mind that if you have had an injury at work or in a public place there may well be CCTV footage of what happened and this can be extremely powerful evidence if liability is ever to be brought into issue. But you have got to be careful because these cameras are updated regularly and sometimes the footage will only be there for a number of weeks after the incident so if you think that there may be footage of relevance get on to the camera operator as soon as possible to make sure that they don’t destroy the footage.

If you have got any questions about this or any other aspect of a personal injuries claim please feel free to give us a call on 1800 390 555.