What Pictures Should I Take of My Car Accident Scene?
After being involved in a car accident, you may be confused and shaken up. As a result, you may be unsure about what to do or what to say immediately following the accident. This is normal, as you just experienced something traumatic and devastating.
Instead of trying to think too hard about what happened, all you need to do is take out your cell phone and start capturing photos of everything you can. This will help you remember the facts and details later on when you are experiencing less stress and trauma from the car accident. Here are eight of the most important pictures you should take of your car accident scene.
1. Damage to all cars involved in the accident
First and foremost, you want to make sure that you take photographs of the damage to your vehicle. This may be a broken windshield, dents, scratches, broken windows, popped tires, and more. No matter how severe or minor the damage may seem, you should take a picture of it. This will help show the insurance company that your vehicle did experience damage.
You also want to take photographs of the damage to the other vehicles involved. Showing photos of the damage to all cars can help prove liability for the accident. This is because the photos may be able to demonstrate where the vehicles collided, which can give your personal injury attorney and the insurance company an idea of who caused the accident.
2. The location of the accident
Next, you should take photos of the location of the car accident. This means that you should capture pictures of anything that may identify a certain area or location. For example, you may want to take a picture of the mile marker, traffic sign, traffic lights, or intersections nearby. These photographs will help establish where exactly your accident took place as well as if any driver involved in the accident may have failed to follow any traffic rules. Do not leave any curves, parking lots, or shoulders out of the photos.
3. Tire tracks
Many people who are involved in accidents may not think too much about the tire marks on the ground, but taking photos of skid marks is actually an excellent idea. The reason for this is because tire and skid marks show that a driver tried to stop suddenly, which may be able to establish that they were driving over the speed limit. If you can, show where the tire tracks lead and where they start, which may be able to help prove liability. However, you must do this as soon as possible because skid marks can easily and quickly disappear when it rains, other people crash in the same area, or road workers paint over them.
4. Your injuries
It is critical to document and keep track of your injuries. Therefore, as soon as you can, begin taking photos of your injuries. You may need help from a family member or friend, but the goal is to ensure that you do not miss a day until the injuries can no longer be seen. If your injuries are severe and result in surgery or scars, you should also take photos showing this.
If you need to wear a cast or walk with crutches, these are other photos you should take. By taking all these photos of your catastrophic injuries, you may be able to use them as evidence to show how severe your injuries were and how they affected your life. In addition, these photos can also help show the insurance company that you truly did suffer injuries and are not lying about their severity.
5. The weather
Other important photos to consider taking are of the weather conditions. You may not think too much about the weather, but it could have played a factor in your accident. For example, you may be able to show that the other driver was driving over the speed limit even though it was raining, snowing, or sleeting at the time. You can also show what time of day your accident occurred by taking a photo indicating whether it was dark or light out.
6. The roadway
Photos of the roadway are essential to your car accident case. In fact, these photos give you the opportunity to show if there was standing water, black ice, debris, broken glass, or any other objects on the roadway. In addition, photos of the roadway help establish where the impact occurred and how much force may have been involved.
Sometimes, road owners and workers fail to clean, clear, or fix roadways, which is another factor that could have played a significant role in your accident. Therefore, you want to ensure that you take accurate photos of the roadway right after your accident to provide your attorney and the insurance company with a clear idea of how the road looked, the direction of the vehicles involved, and whether or not the road was neglected.
7. Witnesses
Another possible photo idea that you can take is of your witnesses. Your witnesses are the individuals nearby who may have seen your accident occur. However, you should always ask for their consent before taking a photo. If they prefer not to have their photo taken, you can ask to take a photo of their contact information instead, such as a business card or driver’s license. It is important to speak to and get this information from a witness because they may be able to provide a statement or testimony about what happened, which can add extra support to your side of the story.
8. Nearby businesses
You can also take photos of the businesses and companies close to the scene of your accident. These photos will serve as a reminder to go back to these locations and ask if they have security cameras with video footage from the day of your accident. Gaining access to this footage may be a critical step to showing the insurance company what happened during the accident, how the accident occurred, who was involved, and who is responsible.
If you suffer injuries in a car accident in Pittsburgh, the car accident lawyers at Carmody & Ging are ready and available to legally assist you. We have helped many clients through the car accident claim process, and we are more than happy to help you as well. All you have to do is call our office or submit our contact form, and we will schedule your free, no-obligation case evaluation today. We look forward to meeting you soon.