You will never be prepared when an accident happens. During a crash, you will likely incur
physical injuries and property damage to your case. When an accident occurs due to
someone else’s negligence, you do not have to burden yourself with the financial costs of
your injuries and damages. Fortunately, you can file a car accident claim with the assistance of a good car accident attorney to get the deserving compensation.
You need to provide evidence after a car accident.
To prove that your accident occurred and the other party is to blame, you need to provide
the insurance company with the evidence you collected. When speaking about evidence,
pictures can be one of the most crucial forms of evidence. They are also admissible in court
and help in increasing the value of your claim. When you have sufficient pictures of the
accident and other details, you can provide them to the insurance company, strengthening
your claim.
Types of pictures you should collect after the accident.
If you are physically able to do, take as many pictures as possible of the accident scene. The
more pictures you have from different angles, the better it will be for your attorney to
understand and provide them to the insurance company. Some of the images that you
should click include the following:
Accident scene.
Your car to depict the damage to your vehicle.
Surrounding conditions, including roads, weather, signals or signs, etc.
Pictures of your injuries, bruises, marks, etc.
Other driver’s vehicles from multiple angles, including their license plate.
Any skid marks on the road.
If possible, take pictures from different angles to have a clear image of the entire scene.
Additionally, you should also take pictures of the nearby shops and make sure the pictures
have the date and time stamp. After you get home, make sure you email these pictures to
yourself so that you do not lose them.
Provide the pictures and videos to your attorney.
When you meet your attorney, show them the pictures and videos you have gathered from
the accident scene. These pictures will help your attorney to understand the details of the
accident. Moreover, your attorney can also guide you on whether these pictures can be used
as evidence to hold the other party accountable for their actions. Additionally, avoid speaking
to anyone except your attorney about your case and restrict yourself from sharing these
pictures with anyone but your car accident attorney.
The attorneys of Ruloff, Swain, Haddad, Morecock, Talbert & Woodward, P.C., in Virginia
Beach have helped injured people with their accident claims for over 30 years. We know that
photographs can be one of the most powerful and persuasive forms of evidence in an
accident claim.
If you have been involved in an accident, be sure to comprehensively document the scene
and schedule a free consultation with our team as soon as possible. Right after a car
accident can be extremely disorienting and confusing, our car accident attorneys understand
this and have offered our most frequently asked questions about car accidents to help
you through the process. Our car accident lawyers serve clients in Virginia Beach, Norfolk,
Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, and Chesapeake, and throughout the Tidewater area.
Why Car Accident Photos Are Important
Photographs are one of the best forms of evidence in an accident claim. An accident can be
a chaotic and confusing time. Photos can help you document what happened. If you have
been involved in an accident, you may not have time to notice important details know what to
look for in the aftermath of the incident. By taking photos, you can preserve important details
for future analysis.
An accident claim is built on details. Photos can help provide them. Where did the accident
take place? How was a victim injured? How did witnesses respond? What were the
surrounding conditions? Insurance companies and other investigators will ask all these
questions and more. Photos will give them the concrete details they need. By taking photos
of the accident, you may help speed up your claim and your recovery of compensation.
Photos might also resolve questions about who was to blame for causing the crash.
In many cases, accident victims don’t take the important photos they should. That leaves
investigators to piece together what happened using other evidence. This could make
proving your claim more difficult and more complicated. When you’re trying to prove a claim,
it’s always better to have clear photos of the accident and its details.
Don’t wait to take photos. If you’re able to take photos, it may be tempting to wait. Accidents
can be stressful and upsetting events. Victims often want to leave the scene as soon as they
can. The truth is that accident scenes change quickly. If you return later for photos,
conditions may not be the same. Lighting, road conditions, skid marks, broken glass – all of
these elements may drastically change by the time you return. If you can, photograph the
accident and its details immediately.
How to Take Useful Photos After a Car Accident
Keep the following suggestions in mind when you are photographing the scene of an
accident. By following these guidelines, you are helping yourself build a stronger claim:
Take Many Photos – Too many photos are always better than too few. Don’t worry about
having to go through mountains of photos later on. Claim investigators will examine the
photos and search for the important details. Two similar photos can reveal different details
about the same accident scene.
Details and Close-ups – It’s important to leave accident details undisturbed. However, if you
can, get close to accident details and photograph them. Many cameras have a zoom
function that you can use to get close-up shots without risking another accident. In an auto
accident, license plates and other details can prove vital to your case. If the photo is taken
from too far away, those details may be lost.
Wide Shots Tell a Story – Wide shots of the accident scene and the surrounding area will
help give your accident context. Lighting, weather, and road conditions should all be
photographed.
Show the Facts – Use your judgment on what would be helpful. Photograph everything you
think may help. Investigators will take care of finding the most helpful photographs for your
claim.
What You Should Photograph at a Car Accident Scene
The following is a list of certain things that you can make sure to document:
Injuries – Take photos of your injuries. Bruising, cuts, and other injuries will heal with time.
Medical treatment may hide the injuries later on. If you are capable, take photos of your
injury as soon as you can after the accident.
Accident Scene – Take plenty of photos to document the accident scene. Details are
everywhere in an accident, and if you are the victim, you can easily miss them. In a car
accident, things like the location of car parts or skid marks may hold important information
for your case. You may be stressed and dealing with an injury while you wait for emergency
services. It’s easy to miss or forget key details. Photos may help you capture details you
didn’t know were important at the time.
Location and Surroundings – Be sure to photograph the accident scene and the area around
it. If you’re injured in a car accident, photograph traffic signals and Be sure to photograph
any weather or conditions around the scene that may have created dangerous conditions.
Witnesses, Emergency Responders, and Others Involved – Be sure to photograph everyone
who was involved in the accident, witnessed the accident, or responded to it. These details
can help investigators get to the bottom of who knew what and when.
Time, Date, and Location of Photos
Photos are some of the most important evidence in a claim. What you may not realize is that
information about the photos is also important. Time and date stamps on a photo can help
investigators verify that a photo was taken at a specific accident. Location services built into
smartphones may also log the location of where you took the photo. When taking photos,
make sure your smartphone or camera is capturing not just the photo, but all of the important
information around it.
If You Can’t Take Photos, Get Someone You Trust to Do It
It’s always best to take photos yourself if you can, but sometimes injuries are too severe. If
you’re injured in an accident, your life and your health should be your top priority. Perhaps
someone you know and trust is nearby and can assist you. Whenever possible, you, or
someone you trust, should capture photos of the accident scene, its surroundings, and its
aftermath.
Take Photos of Your Accident, Then Call Us
Any accident can be stressful and confusing. Don’t take chances with an accident. Take
photos. Photographs and video could help you protect and prove your claim.
