Auto and Trucks

 by: Rishi Chawla

If you are preparing a case about a defective car door latch; there are a number of steps to better prepare yourself before you contact your lawyer and file a lawsuit. Whether your claim is the result of an accident or just because of the faulty car door latch, you need to properly document the facts and evidence for both your attorney and the courts. This is especially important for an injury claim against a car manufacturer.

Let’s look at a case involving a faulty or defective door latch which resulted in injury. The first thing you need to do when you are injured as the result of a faulty door latch is to record the date, time and all the days events occurring around the injury. Even if you go for a settlement with the car manufacturer, their lawyers may try to argue that the door latch broke as a result of your misuse.

The day you are injured, take a few photos (if possible) of the defective latch with a newspaper beside it. This is added evidence for your attorney to show the date in which you were injured. The injuries you sustained should also be photographed and it is advisable to go to the doctor for treatment even if the injury was minor. Make sure you mention to the doctor of your potential lawsuit, and ask him or her to record the treatment in extra detail. Your doctor can be called as a witness if you go to court instead of accepting a settlement. Remember no matter how minor, if a defective item causes you injury; the company can still be held responsible.

Your next step is to stop driving the vehicle that has the defective door latch. The last thing you want to come out in court is that while you filed a lawsuit against the car company for damages, you still see nothing against continuing to drive the vehicle! To document this fact, you should ask a neighbor to verify that after the accident with the door latch you stopped driving the car. Your neighbor could also be called as a witness for your claim. The chances of your success in court with a defective car door latch will rely heavily of the evidence you are able to provide. Be sure to record every detail you can about the car and your injury before you appear in the courtroom.