How Accident Scene Photos Can Increase the Value of a Car Crash Claim
Adrenaline surges through your veins in the seconds and minutes following a car accident, and that makes it hard to make choices that will benefit you down the road. However, setting aside time to protect your claim can make all the difference between no settlement and a fair settlement offer. Learn more about how accident photos can help you prove the extent of your injuries and fight for the compensation you’re owed.
Ready to start your personal injury claim? The team at Hedge Copeland is here to help you. Call us at 251-432-8844 to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced personal injury lawyers.
Good Photos Can Strengthen Your Injury Claim
There’s no doubt that high-quality photos can make a significant difference in your car accident claim. Consider this—the scene of the accident is one of the first pieces of evidence to disappear.
A crew will be on the scene minutes or hours after the crash happens, cleaning up debris and clearing up the roadway so traffic can continue unimpeded. If you don’t capture the scene immediately after the crash, you’ll likely never have the opportunity to do so again. In addition to proving where the accident happened and how the cars were found, photos can help you clarify your own memories of the accident. Memories fade quickly, but photographs are a good way to bring back key details.
What Photos Should You Take?
Don’t just take out your phone and start snapping photos. Make sure you’re using your time wisely and capturing photos that will actually help you. You should get a wide shot of the intersection where the accident occurred, making sure to get the road signs in the pictures. Ensure that you have at least one photo of each license plate with the rest of the accident in the frame.
If there’s any other physical damage, take photos of it. This may include damaged medians, bent guardrails, skid marks, and broken glass. While it may be scary to take photos of your injuries, it can be very helpful if you do. Consider having a loved one on the scene take pictures for you so you don’t have to spend too much time looking at your injuries.
What about any of your own personal property that was damaged in the crash? You will need proof of it if you want compensation for it. If you have a child car seat in the car at the time of the crash, take a photo to prove that it was there. A car seat must be replaced after every car accident, no matter how minor. You may have your work laptop, a nice camera, or Christmas gifts in the vehicle with you. Again, take photos of them so you can demand compensation for them.
Were there any factors that may have contributed to the crash? Get photos proving any distractions. For example, if a stop sign was covered by overgrown bushes, that could definitely have caused a crash. Take a picture, because you can expect the city to take care of it as soon as you leave.
In general, it’s better to take more photos than you expect to use. You can always skip over the unusable photos, but you’ll never have the opportunity to go back and take pictures you forgot about.
Protecting Your Evidence
Evidence is the most important part of your personal injury claim, so protect it carefully. Reach out to a car accident attorney as soon as possible after your collision to start your claim, and at that time, provide them copies of your photos. Keep the originals, as the files will have data indicating where and when the photos were taken. You should also back them up to a physical disc and a Cloud-based storage system in case any other storage method fails.
Choose Hedge Copeland for Your Injury Claim
Having an aggressive attorney by your side can help you navigate your personal injury claim with minimal stress. The team at Hedge Copeland is here for you. Set up your consultation right away by calling us at 251-432-8844 or sending us a message online.
