Tips for Taking Photos Following a Car Accident

The events following a car accident can be very crucial. What you do afterwards can make or break your case should you decide to pursue a legal action in court.

While your primary concern after a car accident should be your safety and well-being, the next logical priority are your legal rights. If you have been wronged, it is only just that you receive some form of recompense for the loss or harm you suffered.

But in most cases, recovery of damages can become a lengthy and protracted legal battle. Without evidence in support of your cause of action, your lawsuit will be pointless, incapable of producing the desired outcome.

Which is why, writing down notes following a car accident is a proven useful device in preserving in your mind as much details of the unfortunate event. In support of your written accounts are photos.

What better way to show the extent of the damage to the court or the insurance provider than using pictures. Visual images can eliminate any doubt as to your claim of damages sustained. Thus, should the matter proceed in a legal battle, it’s a lot easier to demonstrate the harm done by the erring driver.

In this article, we offer pointers on how to effectively take photos at the scene of the car accident.

Preserving the Evidence

Photos are very effective minimizing disputes on facts relating to the scene of the accident. By taking images, you preserve the evidence, which is crucial in support of your legal claims. Even a quick glance of the photos can give its viewers a depiction of what happened. In turn, these images can give an impression of who was at fault and what is the extent of the damage.

Taking Effective Pictures

Photos are pieces of evidence, which may be given greater weight in legal disputes involving car accidents. Thus, it is critical that you take quality photos of the scene of the accident. Make sure the images reflect proper context and accurate details. Get pictures from every angle possible, highlighting the damaged areas.

General View of the Scene of the Car Accident

First off, take pictures that depict a general view of the accident. Without going into the details, obtain multiple shots from various angles. Begin by including all the vehicles directly in contact with your car. Then take a snapshot of each of those vehicles along with your vehicle.

When shooting a photo of these cars, make sure you get all the involved vehicles in the frame relative to the position of your car. Take pictures from various angles to demonstrate each car’s proximity to other cars involved.

Traffic Lights, Road Signs, and Weather Conditions

If the accident occurred near a traffic light or road signs, take photos of these fixtures in relation to the vehicles. Should there be any signs, posts, guardrails, or similar stationary objects that were damaged on the occasion of the car accident, you should get photos of them too.

Weather conditions can also play a factor in car accidents. So if rain or snow contributed to the unfortunate occurrence, it’s best to take photos of the state of the atmosphere at that time.

If there are any, get shots of skid marks, roadside debris, and other signs of the accidents within the immediate vicinity.

Detailed Images of the Damage, License Plates, Etc.

Get close-up shots of the scratches, dents, and broken glasses of the vehicles. Whenever permitted, take photos of the interior as well, if there are anything damaged.

For proper identification of the vehicles, take snapshots of their license plates as well as the insurance cards of the other drivers.

Injuries

Photos of your injuries are the among the best proof of what you sustained as a result of the car accident. However, as a matter of propriety and civility, please refrain from taking photos of the injured people, unless they themselves permitted you to do so. Be respectful of other people’s privacy.