What Information and Evidence Should I Keep After an Accident
After an accident, people are often told to “keep evidence”. That can sound as though you should collect absolutely everything.
After an accident, people are often told to “keep evidence”. That can sound as though you should collect absolutely everything.
You do not need a warehouse of paperwork. Useful evidence answers practical questions: What happened? Who was involved? What injury followed? How did it affect your life and finances? What did other people or organisations record at the time?
The aim is an accurate record, not a manufactured case.
Evidence about how the accident happened
Depending on the accident, useful material can include photographs or video of the location, vehicles, equipment or conditions; witness names and contact details; police or incident references; accident-book entries; and relevant messages or correspondence.
Take photographs safely and lawfully. A picture showing the wider location can be as important as a close-up because it explains context.
If equipment, clothing, a helmet, bicycle component or other physical item may be relevant, think before repairing or disposing of it. In a disputed case, its condition may matter.
Medical evidence is more than a list of appointments
Keep appointment letters, discharge information and details of treatment. Follow clinical advice and explain symptoms accurately.
A compensation claim may later require independent medical evidence about diagnosis, causation, recovery and prognosis. Your ordinary treatment records and an independent medico-legal report are not the same thing.
Do not exaggerate symptoms because you think that helps a claim. Equally, do not minimise them out of embarrassment. Consistency begins with describing what you are actually experiencing.
Financial evidence: show the loss rather than guessing it
Keep payslips, accounts or invoices where earnings have been affected. Retain receipts for reasonable accident-related expenses such as travel, treatment or equipment where relevant.
If family members are providing substantial care or assistance, a simple note of what help is being provided can be useful.
For future loss, avoid inventing figures. Serious claims may require expert evidence about employment, care, accommodation or other needs. Future losses are not just today’s costs multiplied by a number of years.
Keep a short impact record, but do not turn life into a legal diary
A brief note can help you remember milestones: when you stopped using crutches, returned to driving, tried to work, resumed a hobby or experienced a setback.
It can also record practical consequences that medical notes may not capture, such as needing help to wash, being unable to lift a child or abandoning a planned event.
But you do not need to spend every evening documenting your suffering. Recovery should not become performance for a claim.
Be careful with social media
Social media can create a misleading snapshot. A photograph of one enjoyable afternoon does not prove that somebody has no injury, but public posts can become relevant if they contradict what is being claimed.
You do not need to disappear from life because you have a claim. Be truthful in the claim and truthful online. Avoid posting about responsibility, negotiations or medical conclusions you do not actually know.
Organise it simply
A folder, paper or digital, can contain:
• accident and insurer references;• photographs and witness details;• medical and appointment information;• employment and earnings records;• receipts and expenses;• important correspondence; and• a short chronology.
Good evidence is usually boringly accurate. That is a strength.
Important informationThis guide provides general information and is not intended to provide legal, financial, medical or other professional advice. Individual circumstances can be different. You may wish to check current information from official sources and seek advice from an appropriately qualified professional before making important decisions.