Investigations are the foundation of accident cases and you shouldn’t trust just anyone with that investigation says Boca car accident lawyer Joe Osborne.

The facts of every car accident case are unique and it’s those facts that normally make the difference between a successful legal claim and one that gets dismissed. In order to get all the relevant facts about an accident there needs to be an investigation, which is a critical part of what we do when we represent injured victims of vehicle accidents, says Boca car accident lawyer Joe Osborne.

‍Watch a short video of an Osborne attorney discussing the importance of investigation in a Florida car accident case

‍A case in point is the recent accident involving tennis star Venus Williams near her home in Palm Beach Gardens. After a quick investigation local police released a report claiming Williams was at fault for the June 9 collision that caused fatal injuries to Jerome Barson, 78, according to the Sun Sentinel. Williams wasn’t injured in the crash. Linda Barson, Jerome’s wife, was driving their vehicle.

Williams’ SUV was in an intersection when it was struck by a vehicle in which Barson was a passenger. Later video footage of the accident was released and the police switched direction, stating that given what the video shows Williams “lawfully entered” the intersection and was not at fault.

• Police stated the collision wasn’t as simple as previously announced. The video showed a third car was involved.
• A Nissan Altima cut off Williams, making a left turn in front of her, causing her to stop in the busy intersection to avoid hitting it.
• Police determined she had the green light when she came into the intersection, stopped then proceeded forward when the accident took place.
• Williams’ SUV was T-boned in the intersection of Northlake Boulevard and Ballen Isles Drive by Barson’s vehicle. He died two weeks later due to his injuries.

Police state their investigation is continuing. Barson’s family has sued Williams in a wrongful death lawsuit. Whether the Barson lawsuit will ultimately be successful or not is known. But this incident has several lessons for those of us looking in from the outside,

• It’s important to contact an attorney as early as possible after an accident. One reason is so an investigation can take place.
• Normally a police report is the starting point for an investigation. After we get a copy we at least try to speak to any witnesses to the accident to get a better idea as to what happened and why.
• We send our staff or a private investigator to take pictures of the scene of the accident as quickly as possible. This way we can document skid marks and any marks or damage to nearby telephone or light poles, guardrails or jersey barriers. Any photos taken from the scene just after the accident can also be very helpful.
• As in this case, videos of accidents may be critical to a legal claim’s outcome. That video may be shot by security cameras trained on a roadway or intersection or cameras from nearby buildings and businesses where the roadway is in the background. Increasingly drivers are mounting forward facing cameras in their cars which may help document an accident.
• We may hire an accident reconstruction specialist to put all the evidence together to come to a conclusion as to how and why the accident happened and who may be at fault.

This can be a complex process. As this accident shows, the situation may not be as simple as it originally appeared. To do a thorough investigation you need to know about the law and how to obtain evidence from multiple parties. You don’t want to trust just any law firm with this kind of work. We perform investigations for our clients day in and day out and we’ve been doing them for many years. It’s not the kind of situation where you should retain a law firm that will learn by doing the investigation into the accident that seriously injured you or resulted in the death of a loved one.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a vehicle accident, contact Boca car accident lawyer Joe Osborne at (561) 293-2600 or fill out this online contact form. You can discuss your case, how the law may apply and your best legal options to protect your rights and obtain compensation for your injuries.