Your mobile phone can be a very important tool right after a crash. It allows you to call for emergency services without even exiting your vehicle. You can also let your family members or your boss know that you won’t be on time.
Beyond those communication functions, your phone can also help you preserve evidence of what happened in the crash. Taking photos at the scene of a wreck can help you later if you need to negotiate an insurance settlement or file a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver.
What do you need to take photos of after a car crash?
The interior and exterior damage to your vehicle
Documenting the damage to your vehicle is important. You don’t just want to get just a close-up image of a cracked grill, but rather a combination of close-up images and images from farther back that give a sense of perspective regarding the extent of the damage.
Getting images from all around your vehicle will help, as well as pictures from the inside if there is interior damage. You may also want to take photographs of the debris around your vehicle and the damage to the other vehicle.
The scene of the crash
The damage to the vehicles won’t be the only factor that influences who the police say is responsible for the crash or the compensation you can claim. The position of the vehicles after the crash or the scene of the collision can also play a big role in establishing fault.
Getting pictures from far enough back so that you can capture the entire scene of the collision before you move your vehicles is important. So is getting pictures from several angles. You might even want to capture video while you walk around the crash to show it from every angle possible.
The injuries you and your passengers suffer
You may be able to photograph an injury right at the scene of the crash if someone has a broken arm turned at a grotesque angle.
However, many people have to wait a day or two to take pictures of their injuries, as bruises take some time to develop. It is important to take pictures of your injuries in the injuries everyone suffered before you heal so that those images can help corroborate the documentation in the medical records from the crash.
Capturing the right pictures will make it easier for you to seek compensation after a motor vehicle collision.