Have you been in an accident caused by someone else? Maybe you were struck by a speeding or drunk driver. Or perhaps you slipped and fell at your local grocery store. The chances of getting hurt due to someone else’s carelessness or wrongdoing are all around us, from walking on an icy sidewalk to using a defective product or experiencing a medical error. One of the top tips the personal injury lawyers from JJ Legal give our clients is to take accident scene photos. These may become valuable evidence for your claim. A picture can tell a thousand words, but some photographic evidence is much better than others. Knowing how to take accident scene photos can help strengthen your claim.
How Do Photos Help My Personal Injury Claim?
Taking pictures of the accident scene can help preserve it as it was when the accident happened. For example, in a car crash, often the police have the people involved in the accident move their cars out of traffic. If you’re able to take photos or a video before you move the car, then you can more accurately show:
- Road conditions, including any detours or obstructions
- The weather, which could be a contributing factor to the accident
- The position of each car, which may help prove who caused the crash
- The degree of damage to your vehicle
- Any skid marks leading directly to a vehicle involved in the crash
Winning a personal injury case means proving that the other party is responsible and, therefore, liable for your injuries. Pictures often show this much better than a verbal narrative.
Proving the Extent of Your Injuries
Take pictures of your injuries right after the accident. Show exactly where you were hurt. Some injuries may not show up right away, though. If you sprained your ankle or had internal bleeding, you may not realize it for several hours or a couple of days. When you detect other symptoms, take photos of any bruising or swelling. You may consider having someone else take pictures of areas you can’t see or reach.
The party at fault for causing the accident is responsible for all medical care you need to heal. This isn’t limited to the immediate treatment. You may need surgery or physical therapy to recover. It’s important to link the injury to the accident. Photos are a good way of doing this.
Preserving the Scene
By the time you hire a lawyer and they start investigating the accident, the scene has probably already been cleaned up. Any post-accident pictures you take preserve the scene as it was. It can show the conditions present, including any property defects that could have caused the accident. For example, if you fell down a flight of stairs because there was no railing or the railing was unstable and in poor condition, your pictures can show this. The property owner may fix the railing after the accident and try to claim it was always in good condition, but your pictures could show otherwise.
How to Take the Best Possible Photos
You may not always be able to take Pinterest-worthy pics after an accident. Maybe it’s dark or rainy. Or maybe your phone was broken in the accident. Try to do the best you can with the options available to you. If there are witnesses, you could ask them to take the accident scene photos or make a video and send it to you. If you called the police after the accident, you could ask the officer to take pictures of your injuries in addition to the photos they may take for the police report.
Finding good lighting is essential to taking high-quality photos. If you’re showing cuts or bruises on your body, you may wish to include something to show the scale of the injuries. You may have a pen, a dollar bill, or other familiar object that could show a jury how large each injury is.
Make sure to save multiple copies of any photo or video you take. Keep them somewhere safe and give copies to your lawyer. You do not need to share the photos with the defense unless you’re ordered to by the court.
Call a Lawyer Today
Did someone cause an accident that injured you? Do you need help getting compensation for your injuries and other losses? A skilled personal injury attorney from JJ Legal can help. We’ll work with you to preserve evidence in your case and build a strong case to justify seeking the maximum compensation for your claim. Call us today at 312-200-2000 for a free consultation.
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