The most important thing to do after a car accident is to get medical care for anyone who needs it. Some passengers or motorists in other vehicles could need an ambulance to rush them to the hospital, so make it your first order of business to ask anyone if they need help. But the next important step is to fully document the accident scene. Your ability to receive compensation will depend on proving who is at fault for the crash.
Photographs of the accident scene are critical pieces of evidence. With the rise of cellphones, insurance companies now expect to see pictures of the cars involved in a crash whenever they open a claim.
Below, our Des Moines car accident lawyer offers tips for taking the best pictures of your accident. Please call Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C. to schedule a free consultation with an attorney. From our offices in Iowa City and Waterloo, we can travel to meet our clients, where circumstances allow.
You Can Use Your Phone to Take Pictures
Few people will have a digital camera on them, so you are best off just using the cellphone in your hand. Make sure you know how to use the flash in case you are involved in an accident at night and need artificial light to illuminate your surroundings.
Here are some general rules for taking pictures:
- Too many pictures are better than too few. Take as many as possible. You can’t go back if you realize you didn’t take enough.
- Ask for assistance if you are in pain or badly shaken after the accident. A bystander can take pictures for you as you gather yourself.
- Start early. The police might arrive within minutes and want the vehicles pulled out of the road so they are no longer obstructing traffic. But you definitely want at least a few snaps of where the cars came to rest after the collision.
What if you don’t have your phone on you or it was damaged in the accident? Ask a bystander to use their phone and then send pictures to your email address.
What to Photograph
You want photographs of anything that seems possibly relevant to your case. Here are some pointers to get you started:
1. The location of the vehicles immediately after the crash. These photographs will help us see how they came together. For example, if you are involved in a T-bone, then it’s great to have a picture of the other driver’s front fender wedged into the side of your car. Take several pictures before you move them to the side of the road.
2. Any debris field, like a torn bumper or passengers side mirror lying in the road. The debris field helps us imagine the intensity of the impact.
3. Dents on the vehicles. You can zoom in and show the dents on the side or bumper.
4. Skid marks on the road or in the grass. These show that one driver tried to take defensive action.
5. The license plates on each car. You can write this information down, for sure, but you might as well take a picture since you are standing there with a phone.
6. Any road defects, like a missing or obscured stop sign or a major pothole in the middle of the road. Sometimes road defects contribute to an accident, and we can sue the entity responsible for the road. Pictures help us establish the existence of these defects.
In short, trust your judgment and take a picture of anything you think contributed to the crash. You never know what pictures might end up winning your case.
How to Photograph the Scene
You should get pictures from different angles and distances. Also, remember to pause after taking a few pictures and pull them up to review. You might notice that you need a stronger flash because the pictures are too dark. It’s good to realize this early in the process instead of at the end, when you would need to start all the way over. Adjust the flash if you need to.
Also, it’s a good habit not to take a photograph of someone unless you have their permission. They might be upset, so ask people to step out of the way.
Take Photographs of Your Injuries, Too
It’s also helpful to have photographs of your injuries while they are fresh. You don’t have to take these pictures at the scene of the accident. Instead, you might wait until you receive treatment at the hospital.
We recommend:
- Remember not to smile. Some people automatically smile whenever they have their picture taken. Smiling gives the wrong impression, however, and suggests you aren’t really in pain.
- Make sure the light is bright enough to show incisions, scars, fresh wounds, and bruising.
- Take pictures even if you have x-rays or other evidence that shows the severity of your internal injuries.
What if You Didn’t Get Any Pictures
Some accidents are so traumatic that victims are bundled into the back of an ambulance and raced to the emergency room. No one back at the scene takes photographs. What then? Can you still win a car accident case for compensation?
Yes. Pictures are not absolutely necessary, and we have won car accident settlements without them. Without them, however, your attorney will need to search for other pieces of evidence, including witness statements or security footage of the accident.
Pictures help back up your version of events. If you say your car hit a big pothole, there’s no reason for the insurance companies to believe you. But if we have pictures of the actual pothole, then that’s solid proof you possibly lost control because of the gigantic hole in the road.
Speak with Our Des Moines Car Accident Lawyers
Car accidents leave thousands of people in Iowa in serious pain. You deserve compensation when a careless driver smashes into you. Call Ball, Kirk & Holm P.C. today to get the legal help you deserve. We are available 24/7 for our clients and are eager to learn more about your accident.