Look around for guidance on what to do in the aftermath of a car accident, and you’ll see hundreds (or thousands) of articles telling you that you should – if you’re able – take a lot of photos.
Photographic evidence of a car crash and its consequences are often used during negotiations with insurance companies, and they can become critical for a case if it goes to litigation. Good photos give a judge or jury the ability to really visualize the wreck and more.
But there’s an art to taking photos that are useful in a car accident claim. Here’s where to start:
Don’t put yourself in danger
Ideally, you want to get photos of the whole scene, including up-close photos of the other vehicle involved. However, the other driver may not feel like accommodating you – so keep that in mind. Once the police have arrived and begin to take down the other driver’s information, you can walk up to the other vehicle and take pictures without putting yourself in danger of an assault – so be patient.
Get multiple shots of the whole scene
Ideally, you should get photographs of everything that might possibly relate to the crash. This includes:
- Distance shots of the vehicle individually and in relationship to each other from all sides
- Up-close shots of any suspected points of impact on both vehicles
- Photos of any obvious damage to the vehicles, including pictures of the deployed airbags, broken windshields, busted tires, broken tail lights, missing bumpers and more
- Skid marks in the road that indicate a driver hit their brakes, and debris in the street
- Photos of the surroundings, including traffic signs, traffic conditions and weather conditions
- Photos of any obvious injuries suffered by you or your passengers (and continue to take photos as new bruises emerge and during the healing process)
Simply put: You have no idea what might become a very important part of your claim, so take photos of everything. There’s no such thing as “too many” photos. Once you seek legal guidance, make sure to print the photos out so they can be examined for valuable information.
