If I don't remember the accident, how can I prove what happened?
Samantha B. Cohn's Answer
Quick Answer
Even if you don't remember the accident, you can still prove your case with the help of an attorney who can gather evidence and witness testimonies.
Key risks of waiting too long
Potential Risk
Evidence may be lost if not promptly preserved.
Potential Risk
Witness memories can fade over time.
Potential Risk
Misconceptions about brain injuries might lead to underestimating their impact.
Potential Risk
Delaying seeking legal help can jeopardize the case.
Full Transcript
Below is an AI-generated transcript of the video answer.
Another good question that people ask here in Virginia is what happens if I
don't remember the accident? Can I still prove my case? How do I prove my case? And
this is where it's really really important to get a lawyer involved as
soon as possible because if you don't have a memory of the accident we're
going to have to build that case through evidence and testimony of other people
and those memories fade and that evidence may not be preserved. But this
is an issue that we come across a lot at the Smith Law Center and the Brain
Injury Law Center in Hampton. So I think there's this misconception that when
people have a traumatic brain injury they have to be like knocked unconscious
and completely passed out cold and that's not true. You can have a
concussion, a mild traumatic brain injury and your brain simply checks out. You
could still be walking around and functioning but you're gonna have a
lapse or a gap in time and may not recall you know a little bit of a period
before the accident or afterwards. So in cases like this it's important to get an
attorney involved because there may be camera or video of businesses around or
we have to get in touch with the first responders and emergency personnel.
Going back to the videos that businesses have they usually rewrite themselves and
so we have to send out special certain communications to make
sure those are preserved. We would talk with the medical staff.
There are possibly witnesses to the accident. So while it's most certainly
not ideal it's very commonplace sadly and not terribly difficult to still
prove your case even if you don't remember what happened. But again that's
why it's super important to get an attorney involved as soon as possible to
make sure all of that evidence is preserved and statements are received or
statements are obtained before memories fade.