(Newswire.net — June 23, 2019) — Most drivers will eventually be involved in a car accident, whether they were the cause of the accident or not. In the immediate aftermath of such an event, you’ll likely be surging with adrenaline, and you may not be able to think clearly. However, conducting yourself properly and gathering all the proper information is a must if you want to ensure you’re compensated fairly for the accident.
For starters, you’ll want to jot down the name, address, and insurance information of the other party involved, regardless of who appears to be at fault. But just as importantly, you’ll want to take photos of the scene of the accident.
Why Photos Are Important
There are a handful of reasons why photos are so important:
- Undeniable evidence. With some car accidents, subjective reports can get in the way of the objective truth. It’s easy for two people to contradict each other’s story; one person can claim the car in front of them swerved or didn’t use a turn signal, while the other driver claims they did everything correctly. Photos aren’t as easy to debate; it’s pretty easy to tell if a photo is unaltered, and if it is, you can count on the visuals in the photo to be accurate.
- Damage documentation. Photos are important for documenting any damage that occurred during the collision, including damage to vehicles, to inanimate objects in your surroundings, and to the people involved. If a passenger reports an injury a few weeks after the accident, a photo may be able to establish whether the injury was present in the wake of the accident. Cars, too, may sustain further damage, or driver reports of damage may be inflated at some stage of the accident documentation process. Photos are excellent primary sources of evidence to resolve these potential disputes.
- Accident condition analysis. It’s also important to have some kind of visual evidence for the sake of traffic collision reconstruction. If an officer arrives on the scene, they may be able to take measures to reconstruct the conditions of the accident. Photos can ensure no piece of evidence is missed, increasing the likelihood of an accurate analysis.
How to Take Better Accident Photos
That said, not just any photos will do. Use these strategies to take better, more thorough accident photos.
- Invest in a dash cam. Dash cameras are inexpensive enough these days that there isn’t much justification for not having one. Most dash cams rest on or near your dashboard, constantly recording a video feed of events. This evidence is proactive and continuous, so you can rest assured that you have full documentation of the events leading up to the crash. Even with a dash cam, it’s still a good idea to take photos of the exterior and of the surroundings, to serve as ancillary evidence.
- Take photos of both cars (and all involved parties). One of your first goals should be taking photos of the vehicles and any parties involved in the accident directly. Be sure to include a photo of the license plates of the cars involved, just in case it’s called into question later, and take photos of the other party’s insurance information and face.
- Take photos from many angles. Many car crashes result in damage that’s hard to see from the outside at every angle, so be comprehensive in your photography. Take some photos up close and far away, to get up-close and high-level perspectives of the damage, and try to get full 360-degree coverage of the scene of the collision.
- Take photos of your surroundings. It’s also a good idea to photograph your environment, noting pieces of evidence that could establish or reinforce the chain of events that led to the crash. For example, look for marks of your points of collision, skid marks, and posted signage that was neglected or contradicted.
- Take photos as soon as possible. Don’t delay in taking photos; after getting to safety and contacting emergency services, it should be your top priority. That way, if someone tries to flee the scene, you may still get photographic evidence of them.
- Find and photograph witnesses. Search the area for witnesses and try to take photos of them while recording their information. That way, no one can accuse these witnesses of bearing false testimony.
- Back up your photos. Once you finish snapping your photos, take the extra step of backing them up, either uploading them to the cloud or copying them to your home computer. Losing them prematurely could be devastating.
Getting a Police Report
It’s highly recommended to get a police report on file for your accident, even if it seems clear who’s at fault and how much damage was done. The police report will serve as concrete evidence of the scene immediately after the accident, and combined with photo evidence, it’s almost impossible to debate the findings. Don’t assume that everything will unfold the way it’s supposed to; always take extra measures to document the accident.