4 Tips On Taking Photographs After A Car Accident

If you are in a car accident, there is a chance you could sue or be sued. To make sure you are not sued and strengthen your claim if you decide to sue for physical, emotional, and/or property damages, you need to take good photographs of the accident scene. These photographs will prove invaluable to your car accident attorney when he or she mediates with the defendant or takes the case before a judge in court.

If you are too injured to take photographs immediately after the accident, get someone to do it for you. You must do it before the police arrive or shortly thereafter, because they will clear the scene and eliminate evidence that could work in your favor. Either way, make sure you or your proxy follow these four tips on taking court-worthy photographs after a car accident.

1. Get an Overall View of the Scene of the Accident

Take some general shots of the overall accident scene. Don't be concerned about detail just yet. Getting some shots of the overall scene establishes the conditions present at the time of the accident, such as weather, construction work, obstructions to your view on the road, and any other factors in the area that might have contributed to the accident.

2. Take Photos of the Finer Details

Getting shots of the details of the accident will establish just what damage was done to your car and the other car or cars involved in the accident. This is good information to have on hand when making personal injury and/or property damage claims. According to AllAboutCarAccidents.com, you should get pictures of such things as:

  • The damage sustained to your car
  • Other cars involved in the accident and any damage they sustained
  • Debris from the accident that is on the road, such as car parts that fell off of your car
  • Skid marks on the road
  • Visible bodily injuries on you and anyone else involved in the accident, including your passengers and people in other cars that were part of the accident

3. Get Photos from Multiple Angles

Photos taken from a variety of angles at the accident scene will help police and court officials, as well as insurance companies and car accident attorneys determine any factors that might have lead to the accident that might not be immediately noticeable to you or the other people involved in it. If you are sure you are the one in the right and the injured party in the accident, the more variety of angles you can use to take photos of the accident scene, the better. They will only add to the strength of your lawsuit.

4. License Plates

Photos of license plates of your car and all the other cars involved in the accident are extremely important. They prove ownership of the vehicles, which allows your car accident attorney to know who to add to a lawsuit, if the person driving the car that caused the accident is not the owner.

The more photos you can get of the car accident scene immediately after the accident, the stronger your lawsuit will be. You want photos of the accident scene and any damage to people and vehicles, as well as the accident scene, taken as soon as possible after the accident, so the information is fresh and of the most use to your attorney in putting your lawsuit together. Use these tips in taking photos, or in getting someone else to do it for you if you are unable, and you will be doing your part to make your attorney's job easier, as well as increasing your chances of winning the lawsuit.


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