“Why hire a Tampa private investigator early on for an accident or slip and fall case?” The longer you wait to contact a private investigator, the less likely you will be to gain the competitive edge in your case. Many factors can be affected by time, such as the scene of the accident, a key witness’s memory, the opposing party’s statements, law enforcement records and other incident records. In this article, we will address these factors and how they could potentially impact your case.
- Scene changes: It is not uncommon for a trial to take place months, sometimes years, after the initial incident occurs. Over this period, the landscape or scene of the accident can change dramatically and there isn’t much you can do to stop it. By contacting and hiring a private investigator early on you can ensure that this change will not affect your case.
- Key witness’s memory: A key witness can be your biggest asset when your case inevitably goes to trial. The memory of this witness will only diminish as time goes on and their attention is focused elsewhere. By hiring a private investigator immediately, you can avoid a key witness experiencing a memory lapse. A good private investigator will be able to build rapport with this witness and form a strong relationship. A private investigator will also get all necessary information accurately documented.
- Opposing party obtaining their statement first: After an accident, all witness statements should be obtained as soon as possible. The reason behind this is that the opposing party will also be racing to get their statement in hopes of confusing the witness. The opposing side is going to do their best to shape the story in favor of the defendant.
- Destroyed records: All law enforcement records are crucial when attempting to prove a case. These records can uncover key pieces of information, giving the private investigator and attorney a distinct advantage. Police departments and sheriff’s offices only retain records for a certain amount of time. This is called the retention period, once this period has passed the records will be destroyed. These retention periods can vary greatly by agency. It is important to speak with an experienced private investigator who knows the specifics about obtaining these important records. Doing so will ensure that all your files and records are safely secured and available come trial.
As you can see, a variety of factors can negatively affect the results of your case. Even in cases where you believe all the evidence points to a victory in your favor, you could be wrong. The opposing counsel is going to do whatever they can to dispute the claim. For these reasons, it is extremely important to hire an experienced private investigator early on who can help you build and maintain a winning case.