Car accident victims must keep thorough medical records of their injuries and damage to their vehicle. Because of adrenaline and the rush of emotions experienced in the accident aftermath, those injured may neglect to gather viable photographic evidence of their car damage.
Forbes offers tips for using images to tell what happened during and after the accident. A legal case’s success could hinge on how a person uses a smartphone after the collision.
Sense of scale
Pictures may make objects appear larger or smaller than they are. It helps to give images scale, such as holding a key or wallet up next to a car scrape or dent.
Various angles
Accident victims should snap images of their damaged vehicle from all four corners. This also applies to all other cars involved in the accident. If liquids leak from underneath vehicles, victims should photograph those, too.
Multiple distances
Damage that does not look bad from far away could look much worse up close. Those involved in a car accident should start taking images from at least 10 feet away from the damage and snap more images while moving closer.
Interior damage
During motor vehicle accidents, airbags may deploy, windows may shatter and dashboards may sustain damage. A legal claim should paint a picture of what happened inside the vehicle, too.
Surrounding area
Street signs, intersections, traffic conditions during the accident and traffic signals help set the scene of a car accident. Victims should snap images of the surrounding area, as long as they do so safely.
Car accident images give only the facts rather than speculation. Rather than a thousand words, an image could become worth thousands of dollars in damages.
