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7 Tips To Take Car Accident Photos
Apr 07, 2023
Taking photos may not seem like a priority in a car accident, but pictures are essential evidence that supports your compensation claim. If you can move around safely without putting other people in danger, take multiple photos from various angles of the accident scene. Check out some tips to help you take practical car accident photos below.
The car accident photos don't have to be of the highest quality as long as they clearly show the scene. As such, your phone camera will suffice if you don't carry a camera in the glove compartment or have one on your person. Most phones let you turn on a time and date stamp, which prevents evidence disputes from the other party or insurer.
Take a few steps from the crash site if you safely can, and use the video setting or still shots to capture the entire collision scene. You want to show the position of the vehicles in relation to each other and to the road.
Your photos should exhibit the site's location, such as a parking lot or intersection. Pictures of the surrounding businesses can also be valuable in case they have security cameras that capture the accident.
Move around each vehicle's perimeter, capturing mangled bumpers, dents, scratches, broken glass, and other damage. Also, take photos of debris from either car and take close-up and wide shots to demonstrate which vehicle the broken parts came from.
Photos of vehicle damage should frame the license plates so there is no dispute about whose car is in the pictures. If you are safe to lean and take pictures of each car's interior, document deployed airbags and any other evidence of damage.
Small details around the crash site can demonstrate the circumstances of the accident. For example, skid marks can approximate a driver's speed, and the time they applied the brakes. Take long-range and close views of skid marks and try to show where the vehicles were when they started braking.
You should also capture the location of stop signs, traffic lights, and other traffic signals and the traffic flow after the accident. If any trees, street signs, guardrails, or light poles were damaged during the accident, document visible dents and scratches. Photograph any damage to items in your car, like car seats, to add them to your insurance claim.
The other driver may claim they couldn't see you because of the weather. So, document the weather conditions immediately after the crash, including the sun's position at the horizon and each driver's view approaching the scene.
Capture any falling snow, rain, fog, and clouds and how slippery the roads are if it's winter. Although weather changes by the minute, capturing the weather conditions help you dispute the other party's allegations.
If you suffer visible injuries, take multiple photos or ask unharmed passengers to do it. Take injury photos throughout your recovery, as some injuries can take days or weeks to appear. However, don't capture other people's injuries without consent.
If witnesses are around the accident scene, ask them if you can record their statements on video. Lastly, photograph emergency medical services, fire trucks, police, and other first responders at the scene.
The best way to take car accident photos is from different angles and distances. Close-up photos are one to five feet from your subject, medium shots are 10 to 15 feet, while long-range pictures are 20 feet away. You can use a common landmark in your photos to exhibit the distance and scale.
If you have questions about accident photos or any other aspect of your car accident claim, contact us today at Cartee & Lloyd Attorneys at Law.
1. Use Your Phone Camera
The car accident photos don't have to be of the highest quality as long as they clearly show the scene. As such, your phone camera will suffice if you don't carry a camera in the glove compartment or have one on your person. Most phones let you turn on a time and date stamp, which prevents evidence disputes from the other party or insurer.
2. Capture an Overview of the Scene
Take a few steps from the crash site if you safely can, and use the video setting or still shots to capture the entire collision scene. You want to show the position of the vehicles in relation to each other and to the road.
Your photos should exhibit the site's location, such as a parking lot or intersection. Pictures of the surrounding businesses can also be valuable in case they have security cameras that capture the accident.
3. Damage to the Vehicles
Move around each vehicle's perimeter, capturing mangled bumpers, dents, scratches, broken glass, and other damage. Also, take photos of debris from either car and take close-up and wide shots to demonstrate which vehicle the broken parts came from.
Photos of vehicle damage should frame the license plates so there is no dispute about whose car is in the pictures. If you are safe to lean and take pictures of each car's interior, document deployed airbags and any other evidence of damage.
4. Photograph Evidence Around the Accident Site
Small details around the crash site can demonstrate the circumstances of the accident. For example, skid marks can approximate a driver's speed, and the time they applied the brakes. Take long-range and close views of skid marks and try to show where the vehicles were when they started braking.
You should also capture the location of stop signs, traffic lights, and other traffic signals and the traffic flow after the accident. If any trees, street signs, guardrails, or light poles were damaged during the accident, document visible dents and scratches. Photograph any damage to items in your car, like car seats, to add them to your insurance claim.
5. Capture the Weather Conditions
The other driver may claim they couldn't see you because of the weather. So, document the weather conditions immediately after the crash, including the sun's position at the horizon and each driver's view approaching the scene.
Capture any falling snow, rain, fog, and clouds and how slippery the roads are if it's winter. Although weather changes by the minute, capturing the weather conditions help you dispute the other party's allegations.
6. Include People and Injuries
If you suffer visible injuries, take multiple photos or ask unharmed passengers to do it. Take injury photos throughout your recovery, as some injuries can take days or weeks to appear. However, don't capture other people's injuries without consent.
If witnesses are around the accident scene, ask them if you can record their statements on video. Lastly, photograph emergency medical services, fire trucks, police, and other first responders at the scene.
7. Take Pictures at Various Angles and Distances
The best way to take car accident photos is from different angles and distances. Close-up photos are one to five feet from your subject, medium shots are 10 to 15 feet, while long-range pictures are 20 feet away. You can use a common landmark in your photos to exhibit the distance and scale.
If you have questions about accident photos or any other aspect of your car accident claim, contact us today at Cartee & Lloyd Attorneys at Law.
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