The Importance Of Taking Car Accident Photos
Michael Babboni
Car Accidents
After experiencing a car accident, taking photos is probably the furthest thing on your mind. The scene is chaotic, you may be hurt or traumatized, and stress is running high. However, the photos you’re able to take at the car accident scene are some of the best pieces of evidence you can collect. Of course, it’s most important to get to a safe place first, but your next step should be taking full photographic account of the accident scene, damage, witnesses, and any injuries you may have suffered.What Is So Important About Car Accident Photos?
There are several reasons why car accident photos are particularly important. For starters, they’re the only way to gather a physical photo of the scene, which allows your attorney and insurance claims adjuster to get a first-hand view of just what happened and the results of the accident. While verbal descriptions and police reports provide a useful picture, the only way you’re going to be able to acquire a physical one is by using a camera.
A few specific reasons why taking car accident photos is so important are:
• Comprehensive proof – Car accident photos show comprehensive proof. This includes the environmental factors that may have lead to the accident, skid marks showing where a failure to stop occurred, the extent of the damage the accident had caused, and the overall scene and how the landscape could have been a contributing factor.
• Proof of physical damage – Whether damage to your body or damage to your vehicle, accident photos show a detailed and accurate picture of any damages the accident may have caused. Memory can be unreliable, and physical damage photos show undeniable proof of the damages you may be trying to collect for.
• Substantiating your claim – Your car accident evidence photos are perhaps most important for substantiating your claim to your insurance company. These photos can prove your lack of fault in the accident, they can prove the injuries sustained, they can prove vehicle damage, and they can even prove how psychologically traumatizing the experience may have been. With your photos in hand, insurance providers have a much more difficult time denying the claims you make.
What If I Am Unable To Take Photos?
In an ideal scenario, every person who has been involved in a car accident will be able to take photos of the car accident scene. However, ideal scenarios rarely play out that way in real life, and you may find yourself caught in a situation where you’re unable to take photos for one reason or another. You may be too injured to take photos, as well as any passengers who may have been in the car with you, or your cell phone or camera may have been a casualty of the accident and too damaged to take a proper picture. If you’re unable to take car accident photos, you’re not stuck, and you can still gather this evidence.
If you’re too injured to take photos at the time of the accident, this evidence can be collected after you’ve recovered enough to return to the accident scene. If you’re seriously injured and hospitalized for a long time, these photos can be taken by a friend or family member per your instruction while you are still recovering. If your phone or camera is broken, they can be replaced and photos taken as soon as you have a working camera once again. Of course, taking accident scene photos as quickly as possible is always recommended, but it is better to have later photos than no photos to serve as evidence at all.