After you’ve been in a car accident, you may be wondering what steps you need to take in order to properly document what happened. Fortunately, you can easily provide a substantial amount of evidence just by taking pictures of the scene. These pictures will be invaluable if you need to prove that you weren’t at fault. However, you do need to take the right pictures in order for them to be used as evidence. Here’s what you should take pictures of after you’ve been in a car accident.
Your Car
While you are waiting for the police to arrive on the scene, you should start taking pictures of your car. Take up-close pictures of the damage as well as pictures of it from far away. Don’t forget to take pictures of things like the tires, headlights and brake lights. If the airbags were deployed or there’s any interior damage, make sure you take pictures of that as well.
Any Other Vehicles That Were Involved
No matter how minor the damage is on any of the other vehicles involved, you still need to take pictures of it just as you did with your car. However, you may find that not all parties are cooperative with letting you take pictures of their vehicle. This is why it’s a good idea to wait to take these pictures until the police have arrived and have given you the okay to do so.
Road Debris
Many people are surprised to find that even small pieces of road debris can be used as evidence. This is why it’s imperative that you take pictures of any debris that you find near the accident. This can include things like car parts, broken glass or tire pieces.
Skid Marks
If you or the other parties slammed on the brakes during a car accident, there may be skid marks on the road. It isn’t uncommon for investigators to be able to determine how an accident happened just based on the skid marks that were left behind. If you get good pictures of them, they can also be used to determine the collision angle and how fast both parties were traveling at the time of the accident.
Damage To Nearby Structures
Even if you didn’t cause damage to any nearby structures, the other party might have. Because of this, you should take pictures of any nearby structures with damage to them. These structures may include things like fences, poles or buildings.
License Plates
After an accident, a lot individuals don’t take a picture of the other party’s license plate. This is because they just assume that they don’t need to since the police officer will write it down on the police report. However, it’s good to take a picture of it just in case it’s written down wrong or not at all.
Insurance Information
If the other party has insurance, they should provide you with their insurance information. While you probably won’t use it as evidence, it’s good to have a photo of it on your phone so that you will have this information with you whenever you need to refer to it. You may also need to provide your Louisiana car accident attorney with their insurance information as well.
Any Injuries Sustained
No matter how minor an injury may seem, you should still take pictures of it. These pictures not only can be used as evidence, but they may prove to be useful when it comes time for a doctor to treat you. Even if you aren’t sure whether or not a small injury is from the car accident or something you had previously, you should still take a picture of it.
How To Get The Best Pictures
Your photos may not provide you with the evidence that you need if they are blurry or of low quality. While you most likely will be taking pictures on your phone, you can still get some decent shots even if you aren’t a skilled photographer. When taking pictures, you need to:
- Take photos from a variety of different angles
- Review your photos after you are finished taking them to make sure that they are in focus
- Make sure that there’s enough light
If you’ve been in a car accident in Baton Rouge and want to file a lawsuit, Bianca | Matkins can help. We have years of experience in the industry and will work to get you the compensation that you deserve. Give us a call today so that we can discuss the details surrounding your car accident and get started on your case.
