Case theory
The four evidentiary pillars
A car-accident claim, stripped to its logic, rests on four pillars. Every extracted fact should map to one of them — and a gap in any pillar is a gap in the case.
Liability / fault
Who caused the crash. Duty plus breach establishes liability. Proven primarily by the police/crash report, scene photos, citations, and witness statements.
Injury
That the claimant was actually hurt. Proven by medical records from every treating provider — the ER, orthopedics, imaging, and therapy.
Causation
That the crash caused the injuries — not a pre-existing condition or a later event. This is where claims are won or lost: the records must contain explicit statements linking the diagnosed injuries to the accident. Adjusters probe causation hardest, often requesting prior records to argue apportionment.
Damages
What the injuries cost. Economic damages (itemized medical bills, lost wages, future medical estimates) and non-economic damages (pain and suffering) together build the settlement figure.
Frequently asked
What are the four pillars of a personal-injury claim?
Liability (who was at fault), injury (that the claimant was hurt), causation (that the crash caused the injury), and damages (what the injury cost). Every fact in the case file should support one of these.
Which pillar do adjusters challenge most?
Causation. Insurers frequently request prior medical records to argue that some injuries pre-existed the crash, which is why explicit causation statements in the records matter so much.
Sources
- FindLaw / AllLaw — elements of a negligence claim
Last updated 2026-07-26
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Educational reference — not legal advice. ClaimLens is a demonstration app that runs on synthetic data. Statutes and insurer practices change; verify anything you rely on with the primary source or a licensed Florida attorney.